You Are My Light
by QueenofRhymes
Summary: Sasuke is a 25-year-old teacher, leading an average life. Naruto is his problematic student that hates his guts. But on one faithful day their eyes meet: ones searching, the others hiding, ones reaching, the others evading. Just what will happen when they collide? Warning: NaruSasu Teacher x Student relationship AU Genre 3: Romance
1. Chapter 1

The wind rustled through the night, catching a few leaves and twirling them around along his way to the bright moon. Just as it had decided to stop spinning the poor leaves around, its attention was caught once more. A pair of raven locks had just found their way into the coldness of the night because their owner had exited the safety confines of their car. The moon was illuminated by their darkness. Its rays pooled down and disappeared completely in the abyss of silk. A pair of onyx eyes traced every movement that was made into the night. The calculating gaze noted how one of the lights faded, then came back again as the leaves slowly descended from their midnight dance. Aside from that nothing else had changed, nothing else had moved.

Suddenly a gust of freezing cold air came out of nowhere and started biting down on the white skin. Its poisonous fangs ferociously sank into the soft texture and pulled until redness appeared. The owner of said white skin winced and sighed deeply, creating a puff of warm air in front of his face, successfully distracting the wind enough to escape its clutches. It seemed that the gelid hands had had enough for they had left him alone, having decided to pursue another prey.

The man walked towards a nearby building. It was plain. Every window was the same as all the others. The doors of all the buildings on this street were the same, the height of these monstrous cages was exactly the same, and even their colour – a sickly worn gray one – was fucking the same. Everything looked exactly the same and the worst part was that it did not bother him one bit. Sasuke had moved so many times and had lived in so many different places that he had come to enjoy the small changes when they came and pay no heed to those that were constant. Unfortunately, when it came to the latter it meant everything but people. With a dark chuckle let loose into the dimly lit hallway of his new home Sasuke pondered on the fact that he could not remember the last time he had had a real friend or a stable relationship. He inwardly cringed at the reminder that he had not had any of them for the past five years. At least, not a friendship or a romantic relationship that would meet his standards and the worst part was that he was the reason for it all.

The sudden ringing of a phone brought him out of his musings. He sighed as he set bent down, put the last box on the floor, went back up and fished out his phone. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the text message he had received. It was a reminder from the principle of the school he was going to be teaching at starting tomorrow morning to come earlier(meaning 7 a.m.) and meet up with him before the regular classes began. The Uchiha pinched the bridge of his nose, recalling all the annoying texts he had received from various people that were no longer part of his life. With a deep sigh he uttered:

"A new place, a new ending."

After that he went to the bathroom, took a shower and went to bed.

The sun burned a path into the previously dark sky. Its rays danced around the endless ocean of darkness as it bled back to clear blue. Colours of various shades adorned the vast skyline as different people got up, carried out their morning routine and went either to work or school. Some of them were luckier and could sleep in and then either run some errands or spend the day with their loved ones or at home. Sasuke Uchiha, unfortunately, was neither one of them. When the sun had smiled down upon him, he had cringed, grunted and then brought the covers up high enough to cover his eyes, effectively shielding them from the warm bites of morning air, coming from his open window. He sighed as the sounds of the alarm filled his empty bedroom with meaningless tunes he knew all too well. With another grunt he decided that he had better get up and attend to his morning schedule.

After all the basics from the usual morning routine and breakfast had been taken care of, Sasuke went into his room, got dressed in a simple white shirt, coupled with a dark blue tie and black pants(*), grabbed his suitcase and keys and went to the door. Naturally he then unlocked it, opened it, went out and made sure he had secured the entrance to his new home before descending down the stairs. After that he went to his car, started the engine and began his drive to Rockwood High (**).

Naruto woke up that morning to a wonderful greeting of screams. At first he had tried to ignore them, but then his mind had told him that it would be unwise to anger his mother further. That was the reason why he had woken up with a yelp when a fist collided with his pillow. Naruto bolted upright, gasping for air as he gaped at his mother, who was just standing there, smirking at her son. With a soft chuckle Kushina reached out her hand and gently combed a few of Naruto's unruly hairs. She then withdrew her hand once she had been satisfied that her son had calmed down and looked directly into his eyes as she said:

"You need to get up, Naruto, or else you are going to be late for your first day of school."

Naruto was about to protest and complain, but the glare his mother shot him told him that now was not the time for such frivolities. With a roll of his eyes and a groan he nodded, then lied back down. Kushina rolled her eyes but could not help but chuckle at her son's antics. She almost laughed heartily when she exited the room and heard an all too familiar crash and screams of where is this or where is that coming from Naruto's room. With a soft sigh she climbed down the stairs and went into the kitchen in order to prepare breakfast for her son and husband.

Naruto raced around his room at least a dozen times before he managed to find everything he would need for the day. It was only the first day, but one should always be prepared and as much as Naruto hated to admit it, he, too, had started thinking a bit more about school than was necessary at times. With a sarcastic inward laugh he guessed that this was just one of the perks of having a father who was one of the most successful and feared judges in the city, though, in Naruto's opinion, it was the country.

Naruto was greeted with the smell of pancakes as he ran down the stairs. He ignored the small twinge of disappointment when he saw that his father had yet to come down or perhaps he had already left? To be honest, Naruto did not know. He had barely seen his father the past few weeks due to the overload of cases he had been handed. With an inward sigh Naruto thought – just one of the many perks of having a judge for a father.

Breakfast went on as usual. His mother would talk mostly and either give him advice on what to do on the first day, although Naruto had heard it far too many times already, or warn him not to eat too fast because he might choke. With a small smile Naruto listened tentatively to his mother's soothing voice, letting it wash away the void of his father's presence once more.

After breakfast was done with Naruto went to the front door of their house and after receiving a kiss on the forehead from his mother, he walked out and went towards the bus stop. As he was walking down the street Naruto could not help but hum along to some of the songs he heard, playing from the radio of the passing cars. He chuckled when he heard one of his personal favourite – Lifehouse Come Back Down – echoing inside an ordinary black vehicle. Naruto closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. He really did love that song. He was about to start singing when he opened his eyes. Blue eyes widened when they caught a glimpse of pale skin and black hair. He noticed that the car had stopped because of a red light. As Naruto began crossing the street his eyes did not leave the figure inside the car once. His breath nearly hitched when they collided with the black depths of the owner of the vehicle. He inwardly cringed when he noticed how empty and dull they seemed. But before he had a chance to ponder further on the reason why those beautiful eyes could be in such a condition, the person in the car had looked away, effectively closing off the door to his soul from curious and slightly concerned blue eyes.

Naruto had crossed the street just when the light became green. He watched the car drive away, taking the interesting person away with him. With a small smile Naruto decided that he would not think about this person anymore because meeting him or rather seeing him just now was merely a coincidence and as one it probably would not happen again. His small smile turned into a huge grin as he raced off towards the bus stop and collided with the smaller body of his best friend. He spun the girl around, ignoring her protests along with those of her best friend. He soon let her go and could not help exclaiming:

"Good morning, Sakura!"

Sakura rolled her eyes, huffed and then crossed her arms. She then turned her body around and pretended to be slightly angry over the surprise bear hug she had received, though she, Ino and Naruto knew that it was all an act. Despite that, they always played along.

"Aww, come on, Sakura, don't be like that!" Naruto slightly whined as he raced and was soon in front of her. The girl simply huffed and spun around, turning her back to Naruto once more. Naruto and Sakura repeated their actions a few more times, causing Ino to burst into laughter. Their childish antics continued until the bus arrived.

Sasuke's eye twitched when he exited the office of the principal or rather the two lunatics' lair. Honestly, how could a pervert and a gambler run a school together? Especially when they seemed to outright despise each other? Sasuke cringed when he remembered the scene he had stumbled upon.

_Sasuke had talked to the secretary, Shizune, before entering the office to the supposed principal. Instead of finding a man or a woman sitting on a desk, doing paperwork or attending to other duties they had, he had stumbled upon a sight he was never going to forget for the rest of his life( if he managed to get over the traumatic experience he had just undergone)._

_In front of him there was a woman with blond hair running around in rumpled clothing, chasing an older male, who was holding a drawing of what appeared to be a naked woman. After a few shouts and glimpses of the portrait Sasuke realised that it was indeed the blond woman, half naked, lying on a…bed__? __Quite frankly, Sasuke did not know. _

"_You!" The man suddenly screamed, pointing at Sasuke. Sasuke gave him a confused looked before he was asked the most astonishing question in his life, "Would you like to pose for a portrait__? __Or perhaps let me use you as a prototype for a character__?__"_

_It was not that the second question was unacceptable, it was merely surprising, but judging by their rumpled clothing, slightly flushed faces that had sweat burning paths on their already heated skins, Sasuke concluded that the man before him was indeed a perverted artist that wanted to use him as his muse. The Uchiha inwardly cringed. He already knew the answer to both questions. Sasuke only shook his head before asking:_

"_Perhaps I should come back later__?__"_

"_Nonsense!" The woman screamed before she snatched the portrait from the male, smirked in glee, and looked at Sasuke before asking, "You are the new Math teacher, correct__?__"_

_Sasuke only nodded. He then yelped as he clumsily caught the stack of papers that had been thrown at him. He then looked at the woman questioningly before she sighed and explained, "In there you will find everything there is to know about this school, the students you will be teaching, the teachers that work here, etc, etc. Come back if you have any questions."_

_Before Sasuke had a chance to say anything the blond woman screamed the name of her secretary, who ushered the Uchiha out of the principal's office. _

Hearing the screams that were coming from the inside of said office, Sasuke was glad he had been kicked out of it. He then realised that he still did not know which class he would be teaching first. He then remembered what the strange blond woman had told him and decided to skim through the papers. After some time, he concluded that indeed, in them he could find everything there was to know about the school. He read which class he would be teaching first and with a soft sigh started making his way towards the classroom.

Naruto jumped jubilantly up and down as he raced his friend Kiba to the classroom. After a few seconds and shouts from random people (most of whom were teaches), the two were in front of the classroom. Naruto groaned. He could not believe his second period would be Math. He had just had Homeroom and had received his weekly schedule and to his joy, he had his least favourite subject right after. Of course, Naruto was partially looking forward to it because the name of the teacher he had read that would be teaching him was of someone he did not know and had not even heard of, which meant they were probably new. That was the reason why Naruto complained less than usual and immediately quieted down when his eyes clashed with the form of the person he had seen in the car. Naruto watched as said person put his belongings on the desk, then stood in front of it and motioned for everyone to take their places and quiet down.

Blue eyes were watching him intently as Sasuke made each move. The Uchiha was aware that a new city, meant a new school, which meant new classes, which meant new students, but Sasuke could not for the life of him fathom how he had ended up teaching the blond that his eyes had clashed with this morning.

Ignoring the gasps from the people at how young he was to be teaching a jungle filled with monsters such as them, Sasuke looked impassively ahead as he introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Sasuke Uchiha and I am going to be teaching you Math this year."

He inwardly chuckled when he heard a few groans from the back at the mention of the subject he would be forcing down their throats for a whole year. Before Sasuke had a chance to continue a hand shot up and asked, "Why are your eyes so black? Is something wrong with them?"

To his surprise it was a brown-haired boy, Kiba Inuzuka, who had questioned the reason for his eye colour. Sasuke closed his eyes, sighed deeply and replied, "It is genetic. There is nothing I can do about it."

Before anyone had a chance to ask him further questions Sasuke's hand shot up, successfully halting every movement that had been about to be made. He then chuckled, before smirking and saying, "I would prefer if the questions will be postponed because I have a surprise for all of you."

With a dark smirk Sasuke pulled out a couple of papers from his suitcase and handed one to each of them, not missing the intent look the blue-eyed boy he had seen this morning throw him at least a several times. He heard a cacophony of groans and complaints because he had just given everyone a pop quiz. Before anyone had a chance to accuse him further of being the worst teacher in the world Sasuke explained, "This is just a way I can see what level everyone is at and prepare the schedule we'll be working with because, apparently, not all of you are mathematical geniuses."

Sasuke was shocked when a hand shot up and when he had been given permission to speak the blue-eyed boy nearly screamed, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I will ace this test, believe it!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when a few pairs of hands shot out of nowhere and successfully brought the boy down. The Uchiha chuckled darkly before replying, "Alright then, Mister Uzumaki. I will be looking forward to grading it then."

"Wait. Didn't you just say that it would only be used as a way to determine our level?" Naruto asked meekly to which he only received another, darker, chuckle which was followed by a sinister smirk.

A shiver ran down Naruto's spine when that smirk grew bigger and his new teacher responded, "Yes, but I will make an exception for you."

Before Naruto had a chance to blink the smirk was gone and Sasuke's blank mask had fallen into place once more, though there was still a ghost of a smirk at the corners of his lips. With a scowl Naruto decided that he hated his new Math teacher before proceeding to do his test, almost missing the watchful dark eyes that were monitoring him like a hawk would its prey.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the song mentioned in the chapter above.**

**A/N: This will be my first attempt at writing a Teacher/Student Sasunaru fic so please tell me what you think. All feedback is welcome especially constructive criticism. **

**(*) – Lousy word is a lousy word. If anyone has a better idea for it, feel free to tell me and I would gladly make the changes, if I like it.**

**(**) – The real school has nothing to do with this fic. I simply like the name and decided to use it. **

**Until next time,**

_~ QueenofRhymes ~_


	2. Chapter 2

Sasuke was currently glaring at the class that was laughing at his misfortune. Apparently he had not been mistaken when he had previously concluded that Naruto would definitely cause some trouble, but the Uchiha had not even dared imagine that this could happen.

_Sasuke had woken up later than he should have. His morning routine had been completely ruined and as a result of the late awakening he was forced to skip breakfast in hopes of getting to school on time. His troubles did not end there. No, life would just be far too easy if everything had stopped there. _

_The second worst part of his morning was when he arrived at the school parking lot and began digging through his suitcase. With a groan he realised that he had forgotten the tests he had given some of his classes yesterday. Sasuke grumbled internally about his own stupidity and untypical forgetfulness. He then managed to regain some ounce of self-control and decided to make his way towards the classroom. When he looked at the schedule his eyes widened slightly. He had to teach the class that blond kid was in. _

'**What was his name again****?****'**_Sasuke thought as he walked down the corridor. _

_Too busy contemplating whether the blue-eyed student's name was Naruto or Naruko, Sasuke did not notice that the door was slightly parted. His ears did not register that annoying sound or metal rope swinging through equally noisy metallic rings or a bucket full of water bending. Before the Uchiha could even understand what had just transpired he was already wet to the bone. _

Sasuke's face was reddening from all the anger he was trying to put under control. The hand he was holding his suitcase in was clutching the handle of it so tightly that the knuckles started turning white. His lower lip was trembling from the pent up frustration. The fire inside him was churning his insides so ferociously that even his left eye started twitching which only resulted in further laughter. And what Naruto said soon after only served to further anger the dark-haired male.

"Oh God, he's so pissed that even his eye's twitching! Ahahahahah!" Naruto yelled as he bent over from the pressure that had bubbled up in his lungs. His face had turned a bright shade of red as had Sasuke's, though the reason for the troublesome colour was completely different and the whole class knew it.

As time passed the students began quieting down, noticing that Sasuke, too, had started inhaling deeply with eyes closed, though he was still clenching his suitcase rather hard. The teacher made a few steps towards his desk. He then put his suitcase on it and used the desk as a way to support his weight. He rested both of his hands on one end of it as his bangs covered his face.

Most of the students noticed the way Sasuke's shoulders began shaking and as a result put an end even to their chuckles. Some resorted to whispers, but soon realised that it was not the wisest decision and shut up as well. The only people left laughing were Naruto and Kiba, though the latter was a bit more observant and noticed earlier than the other that their teacher's posture was a peculiar one. He elbowed Naruto rather hard and as a result left his blond friend gasping for air.

Before Naruto had a chance to protest or catch his breath dark chuckles filled the room. Those throaty laughs turned into maniacal cackles as time passed, successfully sending shivers down most girls' and even some boys' spines. Sweat trickled down Naruto's face as he gulped. He would've probably started shaking soon had Sasuke's insane laughter not ceased.

Blue eyes watched carefully as Sasuke's shoulders moved up and down, a sign that he was trying to calm down. Naruto sighed as he closed his eyes. At that moment the blond was starting to regret what he had done. Perhaps he had gone a bit overboard. He could've shown his dislike of his new teacher in a different way. He could've talked louder in class, protested more when he was given an assignment and talk back to the Uchiha. Naruto could have even done something harmless like hide the chalks or…

"That was quite funny, I have to admit." Sasuke suddenly said, successfully ending Naruto's train of guilty thoughts and making the boy yelp.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke chuckled as he pushed himself off the desk and carefully made his way towards the boy. His steely onyx orbs met with confused and fiery blue ones. Those dark depths captured Naruto's endless oceans in a trance, one that the blond could not easily escape. It seemed that Naruto had been right the first time he had seen Sasuke. It appeared that the Uchiha managed to draw Naruto's attention in a peculiar way. It seemed that there was some sort of magnetic force that pulled them together and no matter what it had in store for them, one thing was for certain – it certainly was going to become a big change in both of the males' lives.

"Challenge accepted." Sasuke said in a serious tone as his eyes locked with Naruto's, this time burning with equal fervor.

Naruto was still slightly dazed, but managed to recover rather quickly for he smirked and met Sasuke's gaze with one that, too, was blazing with determination. Soon a small smirk grew on Sasuke's face after Naruto nodded. However, it was only a ghost compared to the blinding one Naruto was wearing.

After their little staring match was over and done with Sasuke made his way towards the front of his class, shed off his coat and began his lesson. Some listened, others were too busy staring out the window or musing about topics that had nothing to do with Math. There were even students who were preoccupied with staring at their teacher's broad back. Their eyes took in a few more details than they normally would've been able to because of the fact that some of the wetness of the coat had seeped into Sasuke's shirt as well. And if Naruto had to be honest, his attention was attracted by that tempting sight as well.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: A huge thank you to all of you who followed, favourited and reviewed. I want to thank those who read the previous as well. Thank you for giving this plot bunny a chance. **

**I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but, quite frankly, it felt complete to me. I thought about putting more into it, but realised that it would change the purpose of this second chapter, which is to establish the first stage of Naruto and Sasuke's err, relationship****? ****:D Anyway, please leave a review, telling me what you think. If you really liked the first two chapters, perhaps you could favourite it or follow it****? ****The choice is up to you.**

**Until next time,**

_~ QueenofRhymes ~ _


	3. Chapter 3

The next few weeks were to say the least different. If Sasuke had to be honest, he would say that every day varied from the other and even though it was humiliating and sometimes it even grated on his nerves far too much for his liking, it was different. Despite the fact that the whole class laughed at him when he got caught which happened less often, those pranks were a distraction from Sasuke's otherwise mundane life. And as much as the Uchiha hated to admit it, he often found himself looking forward to the small moments when he would manage to jeopardize Naruto's scheme. It always resulted in a pouting or scowling Uzumaki and a smirking Uchiha.

'_How utterly ridiculous. Must my life have become so unbearable that I am actually partially anticipating the moment I would come into the classroom and be forced to look behind my shoulder after every step I make__?__' _Sasuke thought as he was going through Naruto's test. With a small frown the Uchiha marked yet another answer that was wrong. In the end he sighed and gave up on finishing it. He looked at his watch. It read half past twelve.

'_It's high time I called it a night.' _Sasuke reckoned as he went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, then came back into the bedroom, put on some pants he randomly picked up from the chair near his bed and lied down, preparing himself for another restless sleep.

Sasuke opened his eyes as a silent tear rolled down his cheek. He brushed it away furiously. He then grabbed a pillow, covered his face with it and screamed his frustration, guilt and agony into the softness of it. The strong sound collided with the poor defenseless pillow, hitting it with all its force and yet not managing to break it completely. Even the clenched hands, the knuckles of which had become paler than usual, could not shatter it into a million pieces. The force of Sasuke's heartache was not enough to knock the pillow of its balance. It only managed to use it as an anchor that would help him drown, but would always be there to pull him back up when he needed to.

A deep growl escaped the confines of Sasuke's mouth as he threw the pillow aimlessly. It ended up crashing into the window and pitifully sliding down until it hit the floor. The Uchiha glared at it for not creating enough noise in order to distract him from the lava that was burning him up on the inside. An animalistic growl filled the air as Sasuke clenched his fists, shot out of bed, abruptly walked towards the wall, unclenched and then clenched his fist even harder, aimed for the wall and hit it with all the pent up agony and guilt he had been forced to endure for another year.

"Why?" Sasuke whispered as he withdrew his hand.

The Uchiha looked at the blood that was currently oozing from the ripped skin and then back at the wall, as tough it would give him an answer. When silence fell and no answer unsurprisingly came, Sasuke growled with all the animosity he possessed, glared at the wall and began hitting it again and again and again, while his screams became louder and louder.

"Why?" He whispered.

"Why?!" He said.

"Why?!" He screamed.

"Why…" He whispered as his body staggered back towards the bed and ended up colliding with it.

"Why?" He asked as the blood from his knuckles coated the remainder of white skin.

"Why…?" He choked as tears fell and blood painted the floor.

Naruto was feeling uneasy that morning. He had woken up with an anxious feeling in his gut that refused to let him go. It was true that he was partially afraid because he had not been able to prank Sasuke at all during the past few weeks and had ended up giving the guy a break in order to rethink his strategy. And yesterday he had done it. He had come up with the ultimate prank, but was not certain whether it would be a good idea to actually go with the plan all the way through. In the end his friend Kiba had convinced him to do it.

And that was partially one of the reasons why Naruto was now fidgeting in his seat. The other reason was that his Math teacher was late. And that never happened. Mister Uchiha was the most punctual person he knew. A small chuckle escaped Naruto's lips as he thought it over. He had actually called Sasuke Mister Uchiha in his thoughts for once, but he had to admit that it did not sound pleasing, though it was the supposed right way of addressing one's teacher.

Naruto was distracted from his thoughts when he hard Kiba huff after he had looked at the clock again. Apparently even his friend was having second thoughts about the prank and that gave Naruto another reason to worry about. Kiba never hesitated. He never rethought things. His friend acted first and thought about the consequences after the damage had been done not before that which was why it was unusual to see the young Inuzuka in such distress. Naruto was about to suggest that they forget about the whole ordeal and try to prevent any damage from being caused when the door opened.

To Naruto's greatest horror it was not Sasuke Uchiha that he saw walking through that door, but Ibiki Morino – another Math teacher. Ibiki had taught Naruto for two years (in 9th and 10th grade) and if the blond had to be honest, he would say that Mister Morino hated his guts.

"Good morning class." Ibiki said in his usual monotonous tone before going on to explain what he was doing in this classroom during third period, "Unfortunately, Mister Uchiha is absent today and as a result I was asked to fill in for him."

Ibiki then walked towards Sasuke's desk and before Naruto or Kiba could react, he opened one of drawers and received a wonderful surprise – his face became the victim of the patch of flour Naruto and Kiba had put in there. A growl was heard as Ibiki tried to wipe the white pest away with his hands, but it was too much. He only managed to clear his vision enough to see a small cloth conveniently lying in the same drawer next to the empty sack of flour. Ibiki sighed in relief, bent down and grabbed it, which caused a wire to start spinning and soon the smell of burning paper filled the air. The smell soon reached the ceiling and the fire alarm was activated. Immediately water poured down on the whole class along with Ibiki. Everyone screamed and began running out of the classroom, thinking that an actual fire had broken out. Ibiki tried to escort the students and lessen the panic that had filled all of them, but he was finding it a bit difficult to do so mainly because he still could not see quite clearly, even though the water had washed most of the flour off of his face.

Naruto and Kiba both shot out of their seats and started trying to calm everyone down by screaming through the noise of the fire alarm that they didn't need to worry and that it was all a prank. Unfortunately for them, no one heard them. In fact, their screams only served to heighten the panic in the room. Naruto's eyes began to bulge as his heart rate increased dramatically. He could even swear he was hearing drums beating inside his ears. His breath hitched. His face lost its colour as he noticed that for the first time in a long time his prank had caused too much harm. Soon he, too, started panicking and was about to run out of the classroom when a voice shouted:

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Naruto and Kiba and the remainder of the students all gasped when they saw a figure dressed in black and white entering the room. They could hardly make out the person's silhouette from all the water pouring down on them. Ibiki came back and was about to reprimand that couple of students that had stayed in the classroom when he noticed that person who had just arrived. His face scrunched up along with those of the students', but soon their frowns turned into surprised expressions as gasps filled the air when the water stopped.

Naruto rubbed at his eyes furiously to make sure he was not dreaming. He knew he had screwed up. He was aware that he would probably get punished severely. He even might get expelled, but he could not for the life of him not smile when his eyes landed on Sasuke's heavily breathing figure once more. His enormous grin turned into a sheepish one when Sasuke's eyes landed on his. Naruto was about to meekly look away when he noticed how fast different emotions passed through those black depths. The blond could clearly see anger and frustration. He was certain that fury was burning inside his teacher's body right now, but what confused Naruto and partially hurt him was the pained and disappointed look Sasuke gave him which was soon accompanied by a shake of the head.

Blue eyes watched as the Uchiha made a few steps, clasped a hand over Ibiki's shoulder and whispered something into his ear. Sasuke then moved towards the few students still standing in the classroom and said:

"Class dismissed. You can all go home seeing as you will probably catch a cold if you stay here any longer."

Naruto watched as his classmates smiled, thanked their teacher for understanding and piled out of the room. The blond noticed that Kiba, too, had left, but Naruto made no move to follow them. He only saw how Ibiki and Sasuke were arguing over something, but he could not quite make out what it was.

"He needs to be punished." Ibiki said as he rubbed at his right eye furiously.

Sasuke sighed, pinched the bridge or his nose and then replied, "I realise how sensitive the whole situation is, but there is something you need to understand. This has happened only once before. I talked to Naruto and he listened to me. He has not done anything to me after the water accident."

"It was not an accident. It was an uncalled for act that should not have been left unpunished. I closed my eyes and ears then, but I shall not do it now." Ibiki iterated.

Sasuke sighed as he tried for one last time, "I know the rules, Ibiki. I have read them all and I have seen nowhere have I seen stated that a student should be punished for something they have not committed."

"What in bloody hell are you talking about?!" Ibiki nearly shouted as he laughed humorlessly before glaring at Sasuke, making the other almost flinch from the gelid stare he was receiving.

"Listen to me Uchiha and listen to me well. I will not be made a fool twice, do you hear me? I know that Naruto likes to pull pranks and that most of the time he gets lucky because they do not actually end up harming people, but today that is not the case. And I will be damned if he does not suffer the consequences from his actions again." Ibiki whispered dangerously before turning around and attempting to walk away, but Sasuke, having ignored his sudden rush of guilt and desire to empty the contents of his stomach, grabbed his shoulder. The Uchiha brought his mouth to Ibiki's ear and whispered:

"Listen to me, Morino. I do not care what you think you have seen. I know that there is no way to prove that Naruto is responsible because if there were, he would have probably been expelled a long time ago. That is why I suggest you go and clean yourself up and leave this mess to me. I can assure you that this matter will be over and dealt with before you can see clearly with your right eye again."

Sasuke then roughly let go of Ibiki and ignored the man's curses and meaningless mutterings of ways he would have dealt with Naruto had he been given the chance. The Uchiha sighed as he closed his eyes. He then pinched the bridge of his nose and reopened his eyes. He mentally cursed as his vision blurred and he lost his balance. Fortunately for him, the wall was near and he was able to prevent the fall from happening. His eyes had been closed, however, and that was the reason why he was unaware that Naruto had rushed to his side and was not standing in front of him. When the Uchiha opened his eyes and his vision refocused all he saw was a worried pair of azure eyes that were silently asking him various questions, but all that came out was:

"What happened to you?"

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**A/N: Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting. **

**Please feel free to tell me what you think in a review and again if you really liked the chapter, you can favourite the story. And if you find it interesting, perhaps you could follow it****? ****The choice is up to you. **

**Until next time, **

_~ QueenofRhymes ~ _


	4. Chapter 4

Sasuke's eyes widened at the unexpected question. All traces of anger and disappointment melted away when the Uchiha saw the concern swimming in Naruto's clear blue eyes. For a second Sasuke felt the urge to reach out and assure the boy both physically and vocally that he was indeed alright, but that wish was destroyed when his heart hammered with guilt and disgust once more. That was the reason why all he did was say coldly:

"I'm fine. There is no need to try and pacify me. It will do you no good."

After that Sasuke walked past Naruto, ignoring his head that was beginning to throb. The Uchiha sighed as he heard a rush of footsteps behind him and resisted the urge to roll his eyes when his suspicions had been confirmed – Naruto had decided to run after him and corner him. And by the looks of it the boy was not at all pleased with his teacher's sudden departure and avoidance of his question.

"Why did you do that?" Naruto asked.

"I am afraid you are going to have to be more specific." Sasuke replied curtly to which Naruto only huffed.

"You know exactly what I mean. Why did you stand up for me? Why did you defend me in front of Ibiki when you knew that the victim could've been you?!" Naruto questioned.

"Correction – the victim was supposed to be me but luckily I just happened to have a doctor's appointment this evening and was saved from a fatal accident with…." Sasuke stopped mid-sentence as his brows slightly furrowed before asking, "With whatever Ibiki had on his face."

Naruto chuckled slightly despite the tension that was poisoning the air as he explained, "It's flour. It was supposed to be a harmless joke."

Sasuke sighed exasperatedly before responding, "Exactly! This is why I defended you. I know that you had no intensions of harming me or anyone else in the classroom for that matter. I know that it was supposed to be a joke. I know that you just thinking of ways to test me, to challenge me, but Naruto, you have to understand that sometimes in life not everything goes according to plan and as a result people make mistakes. And I trust that you will learn from yours?"

Naruto's face changed from a pained expression to an astonished one. He was aware that the lecture about his previous behaviour was inevitable, but he had never in his wildest dreams thought that he would get away with it. Perhaps he had not exactly come out of the whole ordeal unscathed, but he had not got punished, he had not been expelled. Hell, he had not even been scolded! He had only been warned not to do it again. With a grateful smile Naruto nodded and said:

"Thank you, Mister Uchiha. . ."

'_For everything. I mean it.' _Naruto wanted to add, but thought otherwise. He had decided to keep it short and simple because it felt right because sometimes all you needed was a few words and you could be certain that the person they were addressed to had understood you completely. Apparently Sasuke had either accomplished that or was simply in a hurry because only a few seconds after Naruto had spoken his gratitude the Uchiha had smiled and had left.

Now as Naruto was walking towards the parking lot of the school where his mother was undoubtedly waiting, he realised that his teacher had not answered the most important question. With a frown Naruto contemplated for the remaining minutes why Sasuke had not answered Naruto's first question. As time passed and the boy still could not figure out the reason for his teacher's peculiar behaviour he simply guessed that perhaps Sasuke was the type of person that liked to keep to himself and would not answer questions he considered too personal. Plus, there was always the possibility that the Uchiha followed that stupid rule that teachers should not burden their students with their problems. In Naruto's opinion it was slightly unfair because while students could always come to teachers for help the other way around was impossible, forbidden even.

A growl escaped Naruto's mouth as the boy clenched his fists. He could not understand why he was feeling this way. He knew he was supposed to be happy, elated even, that he was not going to be called to the principal's office or worse – have his parents come and find out exactly what he had done. Naruto's face cringed slightly when he thought about his father's reaction. He knew that disappointment and anger would be an understatement. But there was always the possibility that had such a thing occurred, his father would have been far too busy with work to notice that something terribly wrong had happened to his son that needed his utmost attention.

'_He doesn't even notice me when I'm at home. He probably would not even if I pulled another prank and ended up harming someone aside from a cranky teacher.' _Naruto thought bitterly.

Suddenly a horn was heard. The sound was so loud that it immediately jerked Naruto out of his thoughts. With a yelp the boy did a double take when his widened eyes landed on his mother's familiar blue van. The boy had not even noticed that his breathing had become slightly laboured. Had he really been so caught up in his own little world that he had ended up walking one third of the way of home and had not even noticed his mother's car that had no doubt been following him all the way from the school?

'_Oh no.'_ Naruto thought as his heart started thumping_, 'I've got it bad. I've got it really bad.' _

The window of the car was pulled down and a familiar voice beckoned Naruto inside the car. The boy complied with his mother's request, though his body was moving on autopilot because his head was filled with too much jumbled thoughts.

Once he was seated his mother's warm hand touched his cheek, brushed it gently and turned Naruto's head towards hers so that he was looking into the eyes that had loved him ever since he was born. With warmth and concern coating her grey eyes Kushina asked:

"What's wrong, honey?"

Naruto only shook his head and surprised her by burying his head into her shoulder, trying to shield himself from the guilt and the confusion and the pain he had been forced to endure throughout the entire day. No tears came, though Naruto was close to crying. He only choked slightly and gasped when his mother engulfed him in the tightest embrace he had received in the past few years. The boy could not help but smile when his mother rested her head on top of his and began to hum quietly as she gently rubbed circles into his back. Those actions had managed to calm Naruto when he was little and his father was ignoring him. Apparently it still had the same effect on him for he had managed to calm down after only a few minutes. Soon Kushina withdrew slightly and smiled at her son as she brushed a few bangs from his eyes. Naruto smiled warmly at her actions. After a few seconds Kushina completely withdrew from Naruto and asked:

"Are you ready to go home, Naruto?"

All the answer she needed was a jubilant nod from her son before she started the car and began driving towards their house.

Soon Naruto was safely back at his home. He and his mother were sitting on the sofa, drinking hot chocolate and talking aimlessly about different things, but soon Kushina could not keep her curiosity and worry at bay and asked her son what had caused his sudden distress earlier this morning. Naruto merely sighed as he put his cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table before he said:

"I screwed up big time."

"How so?" His mother asked, surprising Naruto by going straight to the point and not losing time to reprimand him for using such vulgar language.

"Well…. Remember the new Math teacher I told you about?" Naruto questioned.

Kushina's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded, nonetheless after which came a second question from her son.

"Remember last year when I used to pull pranks on most of my teachers?"

Kushina's eyes widened as she gasped and asked:

"Naruto, you didn't?! Please tell me you didn't pull a prank on your new teacher so soon."

Naruto put his head down in shame as he braced himself for the upcoming lecture from his one and only true parent. To Naruto's surprise only a tired sigh came before Kushina asked what exactly had transpired during the morning. Naruto raised his head slightly and dared to look into his mother's eyes. He cringed when he saw slight disappointment there, but most of all it was anger. He did not know who it was directed to, but honestly Naruto did not care. All he needed right now was to get this day's awful mishaps off his chest.

After Naruto had answered Kushina's question, he waited with bated breath for her reaction. His jaw nearly hit the floor when after a good fifteen minutes all that came was:

"Did he really say 'challenge accepted' when you pulled that water stunt on him?"

After Naruto's eyes returned to their normal form the boy said:

"Yes."

Kushina's expression did not change even after she asked her second question:

"And did he really manage to foresee all of your pranks after the first week?"

"Yes." Naruto responded.

"And even after all the humiliation, stress and discomfort you put him through, he still defended you in front of that other teacher what's-his-face?"

Naruto chuckled at the way his mother addressed Ibiki, but immediately quieted down when Kushina shot him a glare. That was the reason why Naruto resorted to staying silent and only nodding when appropriate. He waited anxiously as time went by and nearly did a double take for the second time that day when his mother's stoic expression vanished and instead turned into one filled with mirth. Lively laughter replaced the tension the air had previously been fraught with. Naruto could only stare in shock as Kushina's body bent forward, then went back until her back touched the sofa and then forward again all the while choking on loud chuckles. As time passed Kushina managed to calm down. She soon even succeeded in composing herself before she asked:

"Did you really think I was going to be mad for something as trite as this?"

"Trite?! Trite?!" Naruto yelled, but immediately apologized when his mother scowled and reprimanded him for causing so much noise. Kushina then chuckled once more, brought her hand up and caressed her son's cheek before asking:

"But that's not what's been bothering you, has it?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before they returned back to their normal size. The boy could only sigh and nod before looking his mother directly in the eyes and saying:

"I'm worried about him."

Kushina's eyes widened slightly. It was unusual for her son to even remember one of his teacher's names( unless they terrified him) let alone care about them or voice it. Either something was definitely wrong with her son's new teacher or perhaps Sasuke Uchiha was a very special man. Either way something told Kushina that this year was not going to be as uneventful as the past ones.

"What has triggered such a reaction from you, Naruto?" She asked as she withdrew her hand from her son's cheek and rested it on the sofa instead.

"His hand… it was covered in bandages that were slightly coated with blood. Plus, he was late and he is never late, never. A-and….his eyes… they were so…." Naruto began explaining but stopped mid-sentence when he envisioned the eyes that had managed to put him under a trance from the very beginning.

"So what, honey?" Kushina asked as she reached out her hand and put it on her son's shoulder, as though she were trying to bring him back to earth.

"So dull… so empty… so broken…" Naruto whispered before his eyes watered.

Kushina gasped slightly when her son's body collided with her chest once more. Her eyes widened when she felt an unfamiliar dampness drowning her clothes. With teary eyes she inhaled sharply as she wrapped her arms around her son and began rubbing circles on his back and humming softly before he fell asleep.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favourited and read. **

**This chapter came out a lot differently than I had planned it to. It was even a bit harder than normal to write, but I managed. I just hope I haven't turned Naruto or Sasuke into a crybaby. **

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	5. Chapter 5

Drinking. It had never been one of Sasuke's favourite activities. Unfortunately, there were times when he resorted to high consumptions of alcohol and tonight seemed like such an occasion.

The red liquid kept swirling and swirling as Sasuke gently rocked the crystal clear glass with his uninjured hand. The other was too busy hanging loosely in the air. Obsidian orbs watched the liquid as it bled from brighter red to darker shades. Those depths watched with fascination when the colour resembled that of human blood.

"_Damn it!" Someone shouted. _

"_There are too many burning parts. We can't get them all out in time!" Another screamed._

"_Help me!" A third party came into the scene. _

"_Sasuke… Do not cry. It will be all over soon. Just hang in there, okay__? __Just… hang… in there…" Someone else said. _

"_Nii-san…" Sasuke whispered before the whole world disappeared before his eyes. _

Several shouts were heard when glass shards started raining. They collided with the cold tiles of the dirty floor along with a few drops of blood. Sasuke's eyes widened only a small fraction, but their dark colour never changed. It remained as dull and lifeless as ever even when the Uchiha used his eyes to examine the damage. He was too busy looking at his hand to notice the several people that had gathered around him. Sasuke felt a hand being put on his shoulder. The man stopped his actions immediately. He inhaled slowly before tilting his head to the side slightly. He then carefully looked up and murmured:

"Nii-san…"

His eyes then drooped and he fell to the ground, undoubtedly hitting his head on some of the sharp shards that were under him, waiting to devour any patch of vulnerability they could sink their teeth into.

The beeping of a machine and the blinding brightness of a light woke Sasuke up. Pale eyelids fluttered open only to be sealed again as their owner cringed from the glowing light. He used one of his hands to cover his eyes only to feel something coming along with it. He carefully opened one eye and looked at his palm. Soon his other eye was opened as well. Their form multiplied as time passed and Sasuke observed everything in the room.

Aside from all the wires he had attached to his body and the various beeping machines, nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. Oh, did he mention that he was in a hospital room? Wait, a hospital?!

"How the hell did I end up here?" Sasuke whispered as he ran a hand through his hair. He then lay the hand back down only to bring it back up again and examine the bandages his wrist and palm were wrapped in. He then brought his other hand up and his eyes widened when he realised that he had injured both of his hands.

"Great! Now that blond kid will pester me even more." Sasuke grumbled as he rubbes his eyes furiously.

"You know, talking to yourself is said to be one of the first steps to loony town." Someone said.

Sasuke's eyes were immediately freed. Those black depths looked at the person who had just spoken. Sasuke blinked a couple of times to make sure that he was not hallucinating again. Thankfully after a good five minutes of rubbing, blinking, rubbing and blinking again, he was certain that the person standing a few feet away from his bed was the real deal.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, but cringed when he heard how raspy his voice sounded.

Kakashi sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He then began walking towards Sasuke's bed with both hands in his pockets. Once the man was right in front of the bed he smiled sadly at his former patient and said:

"The question should be – what are **you **doing here, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha groaned as he lied back down on the bed, covering his eyes with his hands, as though this way he would be able to hide from whoever wanted to harm him. He then sighed and questioned:

"They aren't here, are they?"

"If by them, you mean your parents…" Kakashi began, but stopped when Sasuke's hands freed his eyes. Anxious black depths looked into worn grey ones before Hatake sighed and looked away. Kakashi's eyes watched the darkness of the night sky and noted the lack of bright stars. It seemed that no matter how much he had wished before, he still was not able to avoid this.

"Then no," Kakashi said, still looking through the window, "they aren't here."

A sigh in relief escaped Sasuke's lips. He allowed himself a small smile, which immediately faltered when Kakashi turned to look at him and uttered:

"But I will call them if you allow this to happen again."

Sasuke felt a surge of anger course through his veins at that sentence. His chest tightened when the unfairness of Kakashi's penance resonated through his head. After all, it was not like he could control it. Those images just came back to haunt him every damn year with their pain and unforgiving nature. The venom that had been injected in little Sasuke's veins was still there. It had, after all, managed to poison his heart and as much as Sasuke wished, he could not repair the hole that had formed no matter how much he tried. It was just there. It was there on that faithful day. It was there on his graduation from his high school. It was there when he had broken off his first relationship. It was there when he had lost his first and only love to it. It had always been there and it was here to stay and as much as Sasuke hated to admit it, he was partially attached to it because, unlike everything and everyone else, it had stayed with him. It was the only change that had become a constant thing in his life. It was the only thing that Sasuke knew inside and out. It was the only thing that knew Sasuke inside and out and still, despite all his defects, despite all his bitterness and cynical nature, it had stayed.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said as he waved a hand in front of the boy's face.

The Uchiha's eyes widened slightly. He shook his head in order to rid himself of such pessimistic thoughts before refocusing his attention on Hatake. Kakashi only sighed before he withdrew his hand and repeated what he had said earlier:

"I'm worried for you Sasuke."

"Don't be." The Uchiha cut him off quite rudely as always, but instead of making Kakashi angry, it only elicited a small chuckle from the man. Sasuke smiled slightly as well. Mentally he corrected himself. No, not only the whole had stayed. Kakashi had stayed as well. And even though before Hatake had been his psychologist, after the therapy he and Sasuke had kept in touch and had even become good acquaintances, though Kakashi insisted that they were friends. Ah, friend. It was a word so unfamiliar to Sasuke that he was surprised he even knew the meaning of it. Perhaps he was fooling himself. Perhaps he had had friends at one point, but they had turned out to be not what Sasuke expected and as a result the Uchiha had pushed them away or had ended the relationship without even asking for their feelings or opinions on the matter. Maybe this type of behaviour was inherent in Sasuke's nature and there was no way he could change it or get rid of it. Perhaps it was not even a result of all the pain and anguish he had felt. Maybe it had always been there, but only showed its ugly head after the accident. Whichever was right, one thing was for certain – it was a horrible trait, one Sasuke wished he could get rid of, but at the end of each day he always welcomed it and sometimes even found himself thanking it because, after all, if you let no one in, then no one could hurt you, but yourself, right? Right? At least, that was the delusional thoughts Sasuke was trying to fill his empty heart with.

"I'm serious Sasuke. If you do not take care of yourself, I will be forced to take drastic measures." Kakashi said desperately begging Sasuke to understand and not protest, but, as always, the Uchiha would do the exact opposite of what he had been asked.

"Humor me and describe in detail exactly what you will do to me this time – shock therapy, picture therapy, association therapy, hypnotization, or just having a good, old heart to heart conversation?" Sasuke uttered sarcastically as he smiled sweetly at Kakashi.

When no answer came Sasuke asked:

"Neither? Oh don't tell me you've run out of ideas?"

When Kakashi did not reply again Sasuke's smile turned into a satisfied one as he said:

"Good." His smile then disappeared and his facial expression turned into an aggravated one as he added, "Because last time I checked neither one of them worked."

Kakashi sighed before he questioned:

"Are you done?"

Sasuke chuckled as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

"No, to your misfortune, I am just getting started."

"Don't do this to yourself, Sasuke. Don't try pushing me away again. You know it's not going to work just like it didn't the last hundred times you tried." Kakashi uttered wearily as he rubbed his eyes, ignoring the glare coming from Sasuke.

"Only a hundred? I thought it was at least a thousand. I must be getting rusty." Sasuke muttered.

"Damn it, Sasuke! Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?!" Kakashi screamed as he gazed directly at Sasuke.

For the first time that night Sasuke's gaze was not there to meet Kakashi's. No, there was no glare, no scowl, no frown, and no trace of anger or irritation in those black depths. There was nothing aside from blankness which was perfectly hidden by a curtain of black locks.

"Because that's how it's always been, right? That's what I've always been – difficult." Sasuke uttered lowly before looking up and meeting Kakashi's sorrowful gaze.

"Oh, Sasuke… don't tell me that today's the day." Kakashi said as he looked hopefully at Sasuke, begging the boy to tell him that no, he had not missed the most important day in the Uchiha's life. Normally when said date came, Kakashi would at least call Sasuke, even though the latter often protested and dubbed Hatake's yearly rings a nuisance. Despite the Uchiha's annoyance, Kakashi knew that Sasuke secretly appreciated the attention to some extent.

"It is… was actually." Sasuke said as he looked at the wall clock. His eyes widened slightly when he noticed how late it was. That was the reason why he asked, "Aren't visiting hours supposed to be over?"

Kakashi chuckled before he answered:

"Yes, they are, but I told the nurse that I was uh… a distant family member and she allowed me to stay the night, but I can go, if you want?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly at Sasuke, while he waited for the other's answer. As time passed and there was no response, Hatake took it as his cue to leave, but upon walking past the chair that was near Sasuke's bed, the Uchiha uttered:

"You can stay… that is, if you want to."

Kakashi sighed internally in relief, but on the outside only sported a smile before he nodded and said:

"I do, Sasuke. I do want to stay."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Kakashi's rare tendency to be overdramatic at times. He then smiled slightly because he knew that all that melodrama on his friend's part was just a way to hide his concern. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Sasuke could not help but dwell on some of the mishaps during his day. Guilt started crawling back when he remembered how he had treated Naruto. The boy was only trying to help, despite the mess he had made. Plus, Naruto had noticed that something was wrong. He had seen the injury and he had even asked what had happened and what did Sasuke do? He had pushed Naruto's attempts at finding what little information he could about his teacher away. He had pushed the only person who had actually seen something that was true about Sasuke away all because he was afraid. With a bitter smile the Uchiha noted that he had not changed at all during the past five years and despite all the knowledge and experience he had gained, on the inside he was still a scared and lonely little boy that only wished to be noticed, to be accepted, to be **seen **by someone, **anyone. **

"You should get to sleep." Kakashi reminded Sasuke once he had positioned himself on the previously empty chair.

Sasuke shook his head to get rid of all those unnecessary thoughts. He tried to forget about Naruto and the pain he had seen course through those radiant blue eyes for a split second when Sasuke had given him the cold shoulder. However, despite all his efforts, the Uchiha simply could not shake off something that was bothering him and seeing as he was not going to fall asleep any time soon and there was a psychologist nearby, Sasuke spoke.

"Kakashi, are you awake?" He asked.

Some time passed before the Uchiha lost his patience and uttered, clearly irritated with his friend's antics:

"I know you're awake."

Incoherent mumbles followed Sasuke's statement, but soon Kakashi gave up on his attempts at evading the Uchiha's searching eyes. With a soft sigh Hatake got up into his usual sitting position and nodded, not bothering to voice his answer, even though it had got quite dark into the room.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, sighed internally and iterated:

"Something's been bothering me."

Kakashi's jaw hit the floor. His eyes bulged out of their sockets when he exclaimed:

"You're actually admitting to needing help without any protest or persuasion?!"

Sasuke cringed at Kakashi's unneeded loudness, but nodded, nonetheless. He then rolled his eyes after some time went by and Kakashi still was not responding. With an exasperated sigh the Uchiha questioned:

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Kakashi shook his head. He soon managed to recollect a small fraction of his rationality and sanity before replying:

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry, I just… I never thought you would openly and willingly seek my help."

"Kakashi, I need to get this over and done with before noon so do you think you would be able to listen or should I find another person to go to?" Sasuke asked.

"You have no one else to go to simply because you trust no one else besides me." Kakashi said as a matter-of-factly, earning himself a glare from Sasuke. Hatake only chuckled at his friend's antics before saying, "Ready when you are."

Sasuke nodded. He inhaled and exhaled before beginning:

"I think someone has caught my attention again."

Kakashi's eyes widened slightly before he responded:

"Define what you mean by 'caught your attention'."

"You know damn well what I mean." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Kakashi shook his head, while chuckling, before he replied, "No, I'm afraid I don't, Sasuke."

The Uchiha merely rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's unusual display if childishness. Sasuke then closed his eyes and sighed. After that he reopened them and explained:

"I think he is special Kakashi. When I'm near him, I feel this force that's pulling me towards him and I just can't ignore it. The worst part is that I might actually end up following it one day."

"I see no problem here." Kakashi said before he relaxed and got himself comfortable on the chair once more.

Sasuke's eyes widened before he exclaimed:

"What do you mean you see no problem here?! Of course, there is a problem here."

Kakashi chuckled before waving his hand up and down, while saying:

"So you're interested in someone. It's no big deal. It's perfectly normal. I would actually start to worry, if no one managed to catch your eye after so long."

Sasuke felt heat traveling to his face at the mention of someone being able to attract his attention in that way. With a slightly lower tone Sasuke said:

"I didn't mean it like that. I simply feel…. pulled towards him. I'm not even sure what my feelings are towards this person let alone if such even existed."

"You would not be talking about him if you weren't in the least bit intrigued by him. I bet you at least care for him in some way." Kakashi explained before yawning.

"There is no way I can care about him. I barely know him." Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, it is not necessary to know every last detail about a person in order to care about them. I thought that after all those hours spent with me you will have learnt a thing or two about human nature." Kakashi responded.

"I have," Sasuke said before adding through gritted teeth, "a little too much actually."

Kakashi chuckled before he felt the anxiety practically escaping from Sasuke's body and seeping into the air. With a long sigh Hatake rose from his comfortable position, looked directly into Sasuke's eyes and explained:

"Relax, there is nothing to worry about, Sasuke. People experience different things with different people. Whatever emotions you will experience and whatever feelings you will have for this man only time will show. And I suggest you let them in Sasuke, allow him to enter your life and give yourself the chance to explore his. Who knows? This might be the beginning of a beautiful relationship."

Sasuke bit his lip before saying:

"The problem is I'm not talking about a man. I'm talking about a boy. He's one of my students actually."

Kakashi's eyes widened before he shot out of his chair and exclaimed:

"A student?! You're screwing a student?!"

Heat from anger and embarrassment traveled towards Sasuke's face and blessed his pale cheeks with a barely noticeable rosy colour. The Uchiha huffed, rolled his eyes and almost yelled:

"Of course not! What kind of person do you think I am?!"

"A lonely and confused one." Kakashi replied.

"What?" Sasuke asked confused, all redness disappearing from his face and opening room for the usual paleness of the white skin.

"Sasuke, don't you understand? You're too vulnerable and broken to even attempt at starting a relationship. Not to mention that your chances of maintaining a stable one are slim to none." Kakashi began and held up his hand in order to prevent Sasuke from interrupting him before going on, "I just don't think that pursuing a relationship that was doomed from the start is something you should indulge yourself in."

Sasuke huffed before saying:

"I know." He then sighed before asking, "But can't I try to at least… be there for him in some way? Can't I help him in a way a teacher can because he is one of those troublesome students and he seems to have taken a liking to me?"

Kakashi smiled sadly at Sasuke, but soon his smile turned into a warm and proud one. He then moved and walked towards Sasuke's bed. He sat on it and did the unthinkable – he dared embrace Sasuke Uchiha. To Kakashi's surprise Sasuke did not push him away, but he did not return the hug either. The Uchiha simply brought his hand up and patted Kakashi's back awkwardly, but Hatake was proud of him, nonetheless, because that small movement meant that Sasuke was making progress. That small welcome was a sure sign that the Uchiha was not an incurable and unchangeable case. He could change. He could progress. He could become a different person. He could restore part of the exuberant, friendly and caring child he had been. Or, at least, that was what Kakashi was hoping for. Hatake soon let go of Sasuke as he said:

"Of course, you can." Kakashi then smiled at Sasuke's small quirk of the lips. Kakashi chuckled slightly and ruffled the Uchiha's locks, despite the boy's protests.

"Hey, you know I'm not a kid anymore, right?" Sasuke asked after a small chuckle when Kakashi was making himself comfortable on the chair.

Hatake chuckled as well before he replied:

"To me you'll always be one Sasuke."

Sasuke grumbled at Kakashi's choice of words. Before mumbles of how unfairly Kakashi treated him and mutters of 'I'm not a kind anymore!' filled the room Hatake said:

"I think it's high time we went to bed, don't you think?"

Sasuke looked at the clock wall and cringed. It was half past two. It seemed that time really did fly fast during some days. With a barely suppressed yawn Sasuke nodded. He then settles himself between the sheets, but before he fell asleep he muttered:

"Good night, Kakashi. Thank you for everything."

Kakashi smiled before whispering:

"Anytime."


	6. Chapter 6

_The moon was shining brightly, its rays casting a shadow over the leaves of the hollow trees, while the stars were trying in vain to destroy the full circle's already diminishing presence. A pair of pale hands reached out towards the moon as though they were going to touch it if their owner tried hard enough. Pretty soon, however, those fingertips went as far as they could and soon withdrew; the arm sliding down until it was back beside the body of the dreamer, while his other hand was holding the window. Dark locks were swung back and forth by the peaceful wind as the cold night air touched the dreamer's pale cheeks. He sighed as he closed his eyes, while bringing his hand up and brushing some of those bangs out his face. He held some of them in his hand as he opened his eyes and watched the moon sliding back and forth from the world of the shadows back to those of the living and then returning to that of the shadows. It seemed that tonight the full circle was not going to enter the world of the dead for which the dreamer was grateful. _

_He then heard a door opening behind him and sighed before breaking the spell he had willingly put himself under. He then let go of the locks he had been holding and turned around. With a small smile his eyes met with shining sapphires. The owner of those jewels complained about how he had not been able to buy the chocolate he had wanted because some whiny girl had beaten him to it. The dreamer ignored his lover's grumbles. Instead he smiled as he beckoned the small light in his life to come closer and illuminate further into his life, successfully destroying all the shadows the dreamer had surrounded himself with. _

_The free spirit rolled his eyes, grumbled about how his lover was not listening to him, but complied with the dreamer's request, nonetheless. The dark-haired man smiled warmly when his arms encircled the familiar waist and his chest connected with that of the blond-haired boy. The dreamer buried his nose in the crook of his lover's neck, inhaling the alluring scent that made him dizzy on most days. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax, while he listened to the familiar heart beat drumming against his chest. _

Sasuke's eyes shot open. He was breathing heavily as he sat up in his bed. He put a hand on his forehead in order to convince himself that the dream had been the product of an unexpected fever. His eyes had been closed, while he tried to calm down and checked his body temperature. With a barely suppressed growl he released his forehead and reopened his eyes. It seemed that he did not have a fever, but then what could be the cause of the strange dream he had had? He continued breathing in and out as he desperately tried to calm his raging heart. His mind was fogged with so many questions he did not even know where to begin. He brought his hands up and began massaging his temples. He then closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Once he was certain he had calmed down his eyelids let go of the black depths and allowed them to come face to face with the first colours and rays of a new day. Sasuke cringed slightly as the bright light started invading his hospital room. He brought his hand up to shield his eyes from the treacherous thing, but it seemed that the sun had other plans for him. Instead of letting him be like the star should have done, it decided to keep pestering him. Soon Sasuke was fed up with his useless attempts at keeping his face safe from the evil thing. He instead decided to focus his whole energy on glaring at the offending rays, while he crossed his arms, as though that would help him not lose focus of his current goal.

"You know, you never were a morning person." Kakashi said as he yawned.

Sasuke did a double take. His perfect form was ruined. Instead he was now a panting mess, his eyes were wide, his hair was more disheveled than usual and his heart seemed to have decided to keep running inside Sasuke's lungs until it made him suffocate. The Uchiha brought a hand up and held his chest tightly, while he closed his eyes and tried to calm down. Once he was certain his chest was not going to explode and his heart had reduced its race tracks to that of only one of his lungs, Sasuke straightened his spine so much a crack was heard, crossed his arms, despite Kakashi's chuckle, and closed his eyes, a scowl marring his otherwise grumpy features. Kakashi only laughed some more, went up and ruffled some of Sasuke's locks once more. The Uchiha huffed, swatted the offending limb away and glared at Kakashi, who not only ignored the razors that had chosen him as their current target, but had also laughed. Not chuckled. Laughed. He had actually had the audacity to laugh at Sasuke right in front of the Uchiha's face. Sasuke's eyes twitched, but he soon sighed and decided to wait for Kakashi to calm down. Later rather than sooner Hatake finally regained some ounce of his sanity, while Sasuke's eye began twitching again.

"Oh, only one eye is twitching. You must be getting better at controlling that tic now that you're older." Kakashi noted before he got up and went to get his belongings.

"I do not have a nervous tic." Sasuke spat before his other began twitching as well. He noticed it and immediately covered it with his hand, which only made Kakashi laugh harder. The Uchiha's face turned slightly red. He only sighed, while he withdrew his hand from his right eye. He huffed before he reestablished two rules for the umpteenth time – rule number one – Never waste time denying the obvious. It will only prove to be futile. And rule number two – never argue with Kakashi, while he is in mood for teasing his 'favourite' Uchiha. Especially if you are said Uchiha because not only will it prove to be futile and a complete waste of time, it might actually lead to driving you crazy or crazier than you were before Kakashi got his hands on you.

"I am going to head home now. I trust you will be okay without me during the day?" Kakashi uttered as he went to grab his coat.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Kakashi actually trusted him enough to leave him alone. The Uchiha could not help the small smile that formed on his face when he nodded. Kakashi smiled as well before he winked, while waving at Sasuke. He then left, ignoring the disbelieving look Sasuke was giving him.

After the door closed, Sasuke simply brought his head down and chuckled lightly, while he said to the walls:

"You know, Kakashi, I may not be a morning person, but you sure know how to handle me when I'm in my 'grumpy ass state'."

Sasuke chuckled, then smiled sadly, remembering the nickname Itachi had given him one morning when the older sibling had tried waking Sasuke up only to get a dozen pillows thrown at his face. Needless to say that was not a very pleasant experience, especially if you were sick and had barely slept a wink all night.

Sasuke's expression then became somber as he unconsciously brought the tips of his fingers up and touched an all too familiar place on his forehead, trying desperately to remember as much detail as he could about what the feeling of having Itachi's fingers there was like.

* * *

Another day at school and no Sasuke turned out to be far too unpleasant for one Naruto Uzumaki. You see, at first he had been hoping that today would be a good day. He had been hoping that his gym teacher Maito Gai would for once take it easy on them and not push every last one of his students to exhaustion once more. Naruto could swear he had seen at least two or three people collapse from fatigue, while others needed at least ten minutes or more to be able to breathe erratically again. As for himself, all Naruto could say was that he thought he was going to die at least a dozen times. Quite frankly, at least fifty percent of his muscles were dead, while others were in the process of deterioration.

Literature had been a slightly different story. It had not been hell like Naruto's previous class, but it had been exceptionally boring and that was saying something, considering their teacher, Jiraya (yes, he was a director and still had time to 'teach'. Great for the students, ne?), had not brought some of his books to class today to read it to the students. And, just for your information, when Naruto said his books, the boy meant **his **books as in he had written them and had decided to bring them to class and let the students see and he was quoting the pervert now 'what real modern literature was about'. If Naruto had to be honest, the books were not half bad. The only problem was that the topic they revolved around was not to his liking. After all, he never had been a fan of porn. Erotica was a different story, however.

_This is getting ridiculous. _

Naruto thought as he walked down the hallways.

_Why must all history teachers I get despise their students and give them tons of homework__?! __God, and here I was looking forward to having a homework free weekend! _

Normally Naruto would not be too worried about homework, but considering he was going to apply for universities soon, he needed to focus more on schoolwork and as much as the boy hated to admit it, that included the godforsaken crap also known as homework. The only thing that had kept Naruto from breaking a window was the fact that he was going to have Math now and as much as he hated the subject, he did like the way his teacher looked.

A small sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he noticed that he was nearing the corner after which was none other than Sasuke's classroom. His blue eyes were different today. Even he had noticed it, even before his mother had commented that they were not as bright as usual. The boy rolled his eyes. Of course, they would not be 'as bright as usual' when he had not slept a wink all fucking night and the stupid dog that had decided it would be a good idea to start howling just when Naruto had fallen asleep had not helped him either.

_I wonder what happened to him. I know it's none of my business, but since when was I one to follow the rules__? _

Naruto thought as he rounded the corner. He was just about to leave the physical world and go back to that of his thoughts when his friend Kiba came running out of nowhere and ended up colliding with Naruto, successfully knocking them both down. Naruto winced as his back hit the ground and a bruise that had no doubt been formed during gym class screamed at the blond idiot for having disturbed its peaceful slumber.

"Sorry man, I didn't see you there." Kiba said as he got up and dusted himself off.

Naruto merely rolled his eyes and ignored the small fire that was starting to form in his chest. The blond closed his eyes as he counted to ten and reminded himself that this was not some stupid teacher that had decided to punish their students just for the fun of it. No, this was not someone who had intentionally done him wrong. This was Kiba. This was one of his best friends. Unfortunately, no matter how much he tried, he could not ignore the snake that had burned its way across his chest and was now wrapping its cold body around the boy's neck, suffocating him.

"It's alright. Shit like this happens." Naruto said through gritted teeth as he rose from the floor and walked past Kiba, bumping the boy's shoulder with his.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kiba began as he immediately turned around and ran towards his friend. Once he was in front of Naruto, he put both of his hands up and said, "What's got you so riled up? Normally you don't cuss at all and today I even caught you glaring at Miss Kurenai's (their history teacher) back."

Naruto sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Naruto realised with a pang of guilt that Kiba did have a point, but as much as the blond-haired boy wanted to act like he usually did and just grin at his friend and tell him that there was nothing to worry about, he just could not. It was far too tiring to always be the cheerful one, to always be the one to pull the others back up together, to always be the one who would smile and wave your problems and harsh words which were a result of those damn problems off, to always care, to always be there for the others, while on the inside you were burning as well. Naruto knew that most of the time he ignored his pain for the sake of others, but he was able to do it simply because that was just the kind of person he was and plus, the pain probably had not been that great, but today, today was just different. Today he had had it with everything and everyone and all he wanted to do was just ignore everything, go home and lie in bed all day, doing absolutely nothing.

"You're right." Naruto said as he sighed and closed his eyes. He cringed when an all too familiar memory flashed in front of his eyes. The boy shook his head and resisted the urge to grab it with one of his hands. Instead he simply inhaled and exhaled before he reopened his eyes, brushed off Kiba's worried questions, gave him a small smile, told him he was alright and went straight into Sasuke's classroom, hoping that his favourite teacher would distract him.

Suddenly Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened. He could not believe it. He just could not fucking believe it.

_He isn't here__? __Why isn't he here__? __He's supposed to be here. He's never missed a class, he's always been on time so then why had he missed yesterday's classes and had not bothered to come in today as well__? __Just what the fuck is going on here__? __What is wrong with him__? _

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. He subconsciously brought his hand up and rested it on his chest. His eyes widened further. His heart was beating erratically. He felt an unfamiliar tug inside, as though a chain was being tightened without his permission. He trained his worried gaze on the empty space before him where he would normally see a slightly annoyed Sasuke either grading tests or preparing something for his upcoming classes. He was always there. He had been something Naruto's had grown accustomed to, even though it had only been a few weeks since Sasuke had become Naruto's teacher.

_I shouldn't be reacting this way. I'm getting far too attached to him way too fast. _

Naruto breathed in again. His eyes widened further. He needed air. His brain was screaming at him to get out. He needed out. He needed to be outside. He needed Sasuke. He needed to see him. He needed to…. He did not know why, but he needed to breathe again, but not the suffocating air of the empty classroom, but that of the classroom that was filled with Sasuke's presence. That was the reason why, without too much thinking, he snuck out of the classroom, ran through the hallways and exited the school.

* * *

Naruto ran. That was the only thing he could register. He did not know where he was going. He did not know why he was running in the first place. He did not even where his legs had decided to take him, why and whether they would be able to last long enough in order for the boy to reach the unknown destination.

The wind was rustling through the streets as Naruto tried in vain to catch his breath. Pants were resonating throughout the empty park as the sun was shining down upon the trees for one last time for the day. Blond locks were being thrown to and fro as the wind mercilessly bit at them. Naruto's cheeks were flushed as sweat trickled down from his temple and burned a path down the boy's cheeks, jaw, and neck and then disappeared behind layers of clothing.

_Never thought I'd live through a day that would turn from ridiculous to ludicrous._

Naruto thought as he regained his normal breathing pattern. He sighed in contentment as he walked down the familiar paths of the park. His blue eyes returned to their usual vibrant shade as a grin made its way across his face. He could not believe it was possible, but it seemed that he had managed to calm down. He had even accomplished the impossible – made himself happy once more and he had not even needed Sakura or Kiba or any other friends. He had not even needed his mother or….

_Sasuke__? _

**A/N: Obviously I don't own Naruto or else it would've turned into one crappy show and would have had such success.**

**Anyway, this is chapter six… obviously: D **

**Please review. You have no idea how happy it makes me to read your thoughts (if they're positive, of course). Negative tend to draw me back, but if it is criticism and if it does seem logical to me, I will take heed of your advice and go back and revise a certain part or chapter of the particular story. **

**So uh… yeah, please review: D **

**If you do, there is something I will try to always give you.**

**An interesting rhyming pattern at the end. **

**That will be a promise I will try to keep my friend. **

**Good night!**

**Sleep tight!**

**May tomorrow shine upon you just as bright! **

**Until next time I update and/or post a story, my fellow readers,**

_~ QueenofRhymes ~ _


	7. Chapter 7

Blue eyes watched in shock as black locks swayed back and forth, as though they were dancing with the wind. The man's eyes were closed, Naruto observed. The blond-haired boy noted how stunning yet mysterious Sasuke looked when the last rays of the sun danced across his skin and played with the silky strands, gently kissing every inch they could find of that pale skin before they parted ways. The student's breath hitched when he suddenly found himself staring into piercing obsidian orbs.

It felt as though the air had been knocked out of Naruto's lungs when his tired gaze fell on the person before him. The boy swore he saw something flicker through Sasuke's eyes, an unfamiliar light that he did not know the meaning of. However, before Naruto had a chance to ponder on the reason behind its appearance, it sizzled out of the darkness, leaving only emptiness behind. Blue eyes found themselves staring into blank dark ones again.

Naruto remembered to breathe the moment Sasuke's eyes left his. The boy saw the man smirk before beginning to approach him. Just as Sasuke started advancing towards Naruto, the boy began taking steps back. Naruto did not know why, but he felt the sudden need to be farther away from Sasuke yet still he did not feel the urge to run away. Perhaps his head truly was getting messed up over the last weeks' mishaps.

Sasuke abruptly stopped walking, fixing Naruto with a blank stare. The boy suddenly felt self-conscious under such blatant scrutiny and was about to protest and ask for the reason behind such intrusion when Sasuke asked:

"What happened?"

It was strange hearing that question being directed towards him. After all, he had asked Sasuke something similar before the teacher disappeared yesterday, but had not received an answer. Deciding to be stubborn Naruto pursed his lips, crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned his head to the side, mumbling:

"Nothing."

Naruto was expecting to be lectured about his manners, even though he was certain that was the least of Sasuke's concern right now. The boy also thought that considering how stubborn his teacher tended to be, that he would somehow find a way to force the answer out of his student. Another possibility was for Sasuke to simply scowl, grunt, growl or make some sort of noise before disappearing. There was also the chance that the Uchiha would skip to another topic, though that was highly unlikely.

The faint chuckle that followed surprised Naruto. The blond-haired boy turned his head slightly and tilted it to the side, while examining his teacher's posture. Blue eyes noted the mind-blowing change in not only Sasuke's expression or body posture, but also in the atmosphere. It seemed as though that part of the tension in Naruto's shoulders had been lifted once his ears picked up the sound of smooth voice filling the air. The corners of the boy's lips could not resist and began rising once the student noticed Sasuke's pitiful attempts at taking control of his laughter. Naruto also felt an unknown warmth settle inside his heart and a strange pull once the chuckle turned into quiet laughter. The blond-haired boy did not know why Sasuke was laughing, but a part of him did not care. In fact, he was glad for the rare sight before his eyes because it meant that no matter what had happened to the Uchiha in the past, he was still capable of showing some sort of positive emotion.

Naruto found himself uncrossing his arms and instead adopting a rather relaxed stance. He soon even realised he had unconsciously been smiling for the past few minutes. He felt the unfamiliar tug at his heart once more, but ignored it, deciding to focus his entire attention at the beauty before him.

_Beauty__? __Beauty__?! __Where the hell did that come from__?!__! _

_**Obviously you find him quite appealing to the eyes. I would even say he is a bit enticing, alluring even.**_

_Wh-who the hell are you__?!_

_**Your inner voice, persona, etc, etc. **_

_M-my inner… Why are you here__? __Why haven't you appeared before__? __Why am I even talking to you__? __And… wait a minute! I do not find him whatever you said about him being eye-candy. _

_**I used words which are more fitting for the dazzling beauty before us, Naruto, but it seems your vocabulary or lack there of will end up degrading any compliment I give our current interest. **_

…_I only understood half of what you said…._

_**(Sighs) It seems you are as slow as ever. **_

_Hey! I am not slow!_

_**Do you prefer the words half-witted or perhaps simpleminded**__**? **_

_(Growls lowly) I prefer neither, now would you fucking tell what the hell you are doing in my head__?!_

_**(Chuckles darkly in amusement) I am simply here to aid you Naruto in your foolish endeavours during your most wretched days. **_

_(Sighs) Fine, but could you please speak normally__? __I am already getting a headache and your pompous speech is not helping me one bit._

_**(Chuckles) As you wish. I will disappear for now, but remember – it is best to listen to someone when you are having a conversation with them. **_

_(Frowns) What the hell are you talking about__? _

…_**.. (Silence)…..**_

_Hey, inner! Where are you__?_

… _**(Silence)….**_

_Where did you go__? __Inner! Inner!_

_**(Growls) Oh for fuck's sake go talk to him, damn it! Or else I am going to steal Sasuke for myself. **_

_Fine, fine, sheesh, you sound worse than some of the female student body that interested in him purely because of his physical appearance._

… _**(Silence)…**_

…_.. (Silence)…_

_**Did you just talk like me**__**?**_

_Did I just talk like you__?!_

_Yep….I am going crazy….. Definitely._

_**Definitely. Now go!**_

_Hey, don't push me you stupid fox!_

_**(Stops pushing Naruto) How exactly am I a fox**__**?**_

_(Stares blankly at his other self) I don't know. It just sounded…fitting… in my head._

_**Idiot, we are currently residing in your head.**_

_Enough! I am leaving before I grow a tail and start speaking gibberish during every third sentence. _

_**You've already begun.**_

_Shut up!_

"Naruto. Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, successfully bringing Naruto back to planet Earth.

The blond-haired student yelped as he jerked back and stared wide-eyed at his teacher. He put a hand on his chest as he tried to steady his breathing before nearly screaming:

"What are you doing? Trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Sasuke cringed at the boy's unnecessary loudness yet resisted the urge to cover his ears with his palms. Instead the Uchiha sighed and then muttered something that Naruto could not hear. The blond-haired boy looked questionably at his teacher before asking:

"What? Could you repeat that? I could not quite hear you?"

Sasuke's eye twitched before he replied through gritted teeth:

"I am not saying that again."

Naruto's eyes narrowed before he huffed and responded:

"Fine. Be that way." The boy then turned his head to the side and mumbled, "Teme."

Sasuke's eyes widened before they narrowed. He then openly glared at his student before he muttered:

"Dobe."

Naruto's head shot forward the minute he heard the insult. His inner voice calling him stupid was one thing, but when someone else addressing him that way was a whole different story.

"What did you just call me?" Naruto whispered, eyes shooting daggers towards those of the Uchiha who merely smirked, crossed his arms and repeated:

"Dobe"

Naruto, sensing that he was being taunted, though did not mind one bit, took up the challenge and crossed his arms before reiterating:

"Teme."

"Dobe." Sasuke said, his voice getting slightly louder and a smirk appearing on his face.

"Teme." Naruto uttered, smirk growing.

"Dobe." Sasuke repeated, sparks appearing in his normally black gaze.

"Teme." Naruto iterated, his voice getting quite loud, flames dancing in his eyes.

"Dobe." Sasuke said with finality in his voice that was daring Naruto to continue.

"Teme." Naruto responded, a certain edge to his voice sending shivers down Sasuke's spine, who merely smirked further before he laid his final trap:

"Hn, dobe, are you going to stand there calling me names all night or are you actually going to man up and make me regret insulting you?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed before his glare intensified and he yelled:

"Teme, I'm sure as hell going to make you pay!"

All that happened next was blur. Naruto's body shot forward, suddenly forgetting who he was dealing with. His blue eyes were focused solely on Sasuke Uchiha, someone who had questioned Naruto's dignity and honour, not Mister Uchiha, the teacher, who was simply far too different than what a normal teacher should be. Everything about that night was not how normal student and teacher should interact. The insults and the little game they were having with their eyes suggested something that neither could differentiate. To the two it was simply a challenge of who would win and who would lose. It did not seem that unacceptable. It was not wrong. It was normal even. In their minds, in their way of understanding the nature of their few true encounters, it normal human behaviour which was the reason why to Sasuke it was no surprise that Naruto lost his control and lunged at the Uchiha.

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly when they saw the fire that was burning inside those blue orbs. He yelped when he was knocked backwards and gasped slightly when his back hit the cold ground. Luckily for him, there was only grass and no concrete where his body had fallen. Unfortunately, Naruto's ferocity had not ended there. No, it seemed that the boy had barely begun. Fists flew everywhere, while pale hands shot forward and tried to defend himself. Most of the movements were irregular and Sasuke was fortunate enough to avoid almost all of them, but one of them turned out to be lucky and ended up landing exactly on Sasuke's jaw.

Naruto's eyes widened when his fist connected with the raw flesh and the hard bone that was behind it. His knuckles turned red the minute they left Sasuke's jaw and began bleeding. Blue eyes searched frantically, while the boy cradled his injured hand with his uninjured one. Naruto gasped when Sasuke flew backwards and ended up hitting his head on the grass. The Uchiha groaned and moaned when he reached up and touched his jaw. He rubbed the spot and winced when he touched it and ended up feeling immediate pain. It seemed that it was definitely going to leave a bruise. His eyes then landed on the frantic boy before him. Sasuke was about to speak, but only succeeded in opening his mouth before Naruto leaped forward and began examining the place his knuckles had connected with all the while whispering:

"Oh my God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…."

Those words echoed throughout the quiet park again and again before Sasuke decided that he had enough. The Uchiha simply rolled his eyes and shot up from the place he had been sitting at. He covered the boy's mouth with his hands and captured his concerned blue eyes with his resolute black ones. Once Sasuke was certain that he had trapped Naruto in his gaze and the boy was not planning on escaping the Uchiha spoke.

"Listen to me, Naruto. I am fine, do you hear me? Fine." Sasuke said after which he searched Naruto's eyes for any shadow of doubt as to whether the meaning of his message had been conveyed. Once Sasuke was certain that the boy had understood him, he sighed and removed his hands from Naruto's mouth.

"I should be the one that's apologizing, not you." Sasuke began only to hold up his hand when Naruto was about to protest. The Uchiha shook his head and narrowed his eyes when Naruto attempted at speaking again. The blond-haired boy sent a glare the Uchiha's way, but complied with his teacher's request and remained silent. Once Sasuke was certain that Naruto would keep quiet, he sighed in relief and continued, "I knew that you were angry. I knew that something was up and you had little to no control over your emotions, Naruto."

Naruto opened his mouth to protest once more, but was silenced yet again by a piercing gaze and a hand being held up. The blond-haired boy muttered something about stubborn assholes, but complied with his teacher's request, nonetheless. The mumbled comment made Sasuke chuckle silently, while he was bringing his hand down. He then looked directly into Naruto's eyes and said:

"I am sorry, Naruto."

Blue eyes widened as they looked into sincere and slightly guilty black ones. Naruto's breath hitched and his throat felt unusually dry. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He only ended up closing it again. His gaze then dropped and he remained silent.

After moments of grave silence passed and Naruto had yet to recover, Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then looked at his student again and once again felt his annoyance rising. The Uchiha wanted the boy to speak now, but it seemed that Naruto had other plans. With one of his eyes twitching Sasuke began concocting a scheme with which he was going to fulfill his secret desire to hear that strangely mostly pleasant to the ears voice yet again.

"You know, Naruto, if I had known that was what it took for you to shut up, I would have said those three magical words sooner."

Naruto's eyes widened. His head shot around and heat rose to his face. Once his eyes landed on a chuckling Sasuke once more, he could help but narrow them and yell:

"Shut the hell up!"

"Oh you mean go and follow your perfect example?" Sasuke replied, earning himself another glare from his student. The teacher in turn laughed, not being able to contain his amusement at his student's expense.

"Glad to see you're finding my misfortune amusing, Mister Uchiha." Naruto uttered before he could stop himself. The boy's eyes widened when his teacher suddenly stopped laughing. Naruto could not help but mentally berate and slap himself for his slipup. He should not have used the honorific. He should have left it out, but no, he had to be an idiot and ruin the unusually almost perfect evening with a poor choice of words.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he tried to steady his breathing. He sighed once he was certain that his heart rate had returned to normal. He then reopened them and focused his full attention on the boy before him.

"How are you feeling now? Better?" Sasuke asked as he began walking and then stopped, only to kneel in front of his student.

Naruto ignored the sudden rise of heat to his face. He ignored the way his heart sped up slightly or the way his palms began sweating. He inhaled shakily when Sasuke reached out and touched Naruto's palm. The boy looked questioningly at his teacher when his fingers curled around Naruto's wrist. The Uchiha sighed before he said:

"Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

He was about to lift Naruto's hand in order to examine the injuries on his knuckles, but halted immediately once he noticed the worry and doubt in his student's franticly moving blue eyes. Sasuke sighed once more before he asked with a small smile:

"May I?"

The Uchiha gestured towards Naruto's hand with a small tug. It seemed that the boy immediately understood what his teacher was aiming at and with small hesitance nodded. That small movement earned him a slightly bigger smile from Sasuke which Naruto ended up mirroring soon after.

Sasuke carefully brought Naruto's hand up. His eyes traveled from one end of the injured area to the other. He noted the abnormally reddish colour and slightly cringed at the dried blood. He mentally cursed his luck. He was hoping that they would not be too late and that Naruto would not end up infecting the wound. They were, after all, in the park and it was filled with dozens of germs that could end up making matters worse. Sasuke suddenly stopped and looked up at Naruto only to be met with still slightly worried blue eyes. Sasuke took in a sharp breath before he willed himself to relax and say:

"I will need to touch your injury to see if it needs medical attention."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly before he nodded. Sasuke closed his eyes and mentally congratulated himself on not scaring the boy further. After all, when Naruto did not talk it meant that something was horribly wrong and Sasuke did not want to add things to the list of those that had gone terribly wrong today.

Tentatively the Uchiha reached with two fingers towards Naruto's knuckles and touched. He heard a hiss, but nothing more came out of the boy's lips. It made Sasuke sigh in relief and smile at the fact that it was just a wound and was not anything major at that. He then looked up and was surprised to be met with slightly angry yet burning with determination blue eyes.

"Can you move them without feeling too much pain?" Sasuke asked, while he was still holding the boy's wrist.

Naruto flexed his fingers. He hissed a few times, but that was the only sound that escaped though his lips. No moan, neither groan left his mouth. It seemed that whatever had happened to his knuckles it was not something the boy or his parents should fret over. Sasuke sighed and mentally thanked his luck this time. He then let go of Naruto's wrist and looked at the boy before he said:

"I don't think you remember but I did ask you whether you were feeling better."

Naruto was surprised at the sudden gentleness in Sasuke's tone. It seemed that the Uchiha was concerned about Naruto's wellbeing in some way or another. Soon a smile bloomed on Naruto's face as he said:

"Yeah, I am. I mean, I've been better, but right now I'm feeling better than I was feeling before today." A small chuckle escaped Naruto's lips before he brought his hand and scratched the back of his head as he whispered, "Did that actually make sense?"

Sasuke chuckled softly before he nodded and answered:

"Yes, it did."

Black eyes met with blue ones. Both males found themselves entranced by the other's penetrating gaze. Their breathing patterns became disordered. Their heart rates increased. Their palms became damp. Their senses were entirely focused on the person before them. Sasuke found himself making unconscious steps towards Naruto once more. He ended up falling in front of the boy, scaring him slightly, but not breaking the trance they were both under. Black eyes searched blue ones for any sign of hesitance, anger, fear, disgust or confusion, but he found none. Sasuke only found a strange fire burning in them just as Naruto was admiring the sparks that were flickering inside the darkness that were Sasuke's breathtaking orbs.

The Uchiha found himself drowning in those blue eyes that belonged to none other than the forbidden fruit he was forbidden from touching. Sasuke mentally cursed. He could not believe he was actually thinking of kissing the boy. His eyes widened slightly. Yes, that was what he was – a boy, a kid, an innocent child and what was Sasuke thinking of doing? Was he actually so audacious and evil as to try and destroy it? Could he really pursue his primal instincts and live with the consequences? Could he actually move forward, seal the distance between them and claim that soft light at his own? Could he taint it with his darkness and yet be able to live with himself and the guilt and regret that would undoubtedly follow? The answer was no to almost all of them, but there was still a small, curious part of him that wanted to taste the dangers of touching that soft skin, feeling the fire that was burning within him explode and claim every last expanse of innocence as his.

Just as Sasuke moved forward and brought his hands up Naruto's heart rate sped up. His blue eyes flickered back and forth from Sasuke's eyes to different parts of his face. They avoided the area that was most tempting, but soon ended up falling into the dangerous desire to actually look at the Uchiha's mouth. In the end Naruto could not resist and lowered his gaze enough to witness those slightly dry lips hover not to far away from his own. His eyes widened and ended up darkening slightly when Sasuke unconsciously opened his mouth and licked them tantalizingly slowly. It was agonizing for Naruto to observe such a delicious act being demonstrated right in front of him and not being able to actually sample it. However, there was one thing he could that would definitely help escalate things. With heart thumping wildly he found his own tongue darting out and hesitantly licking away any trace of fear on his previously dry lips. His breath hitched when he felt that piercing gaze following the muscle's every move. Naruto's heart began throbbing in his ears, effectively silencing the boy's common sense. Instead it led him on further down the road of enticing danger and helped Naruto do the unthinkable – he slowly, quite tentatively even, bit his lower lip and sucked on it slightly and then proceeded to do the same to the upper one. His breath hitched once he felt those black orbs tracing every movement and he found Sasuke's own tongue destroying the dryness of his own lips once more.

Just how much was Sasuke going to wait until he sealed the distance between them? Naruto did not know, however, he knew one thing and that was that if the Uchiha did not move he would end up losing the last small part of his sanity and would close the gap between them himself.

A gasp escaped Naruto's lips, shutting every coherent thought in his head, once his eyes met with darkened black depths. How it was possible for those eyes to become even darker, even more piercing, even more alluring than before, Naruto did not know. All he was aware of was the closeness of Sasuke's body, the warmth of which was sucking the air out of Naruto's lungs yet leaving just enough to keep the boy alive; he felt every movement of the divine creature before him; he gasped when those muscles collided with his own; his eyes rolled to the back of his head when Sasuke's lips neared his own; heat rushed through various parts of his body once Naruto felt Sasuke's breath ghosting over his lips. His breath hitched when those lips slightly brushed against his own. He gasped when they connected, leaving just enough room for Naruto to escape if needed to which the boy entirely refused to do. Instead he brought his hands up and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck, letting himself and the man that was leaning over him fall towards the ground. A small gasp escaped Naruto's lips when his back collided with the earth. He felt something damp and warm touching his bottom lip. His eyes widened when he realised that it was Sasuke's tongue that was doing something so wonderful that was sending electric bolts throughout Naruto's body. The blond-haired boy tentatively opened his cavern and allowed the muscle to enter.

Suddenly the ringing of a phone made both of them freeze completely. Naruto's eyes widened. He stood where he was completely still while watching how Sasuke shot up and began pacing around frantically. Blue eyes saw all the different expressions course through Sasuke's previously burning orbs. Naruto ignored the slightly pain he felt when he noticed that regret and guilt remained in the dark depths. He did not hear the panging of his heart when it shattered to the ground once he realised that it was his phone that was ringing. He did not feel anything aside from the fact that some parts of his body were moving. He did not register at all what he was doing, nor did he remember what he had said to calm his frantic mother down. He did not even recall what he had been asked by Sasuke. He merely nodded. Everything else that followed was a blur of shapes and figures that Naruto could not quite remember or decipher. All that he registered was the fact that Sasuke was near him during the ride home. The blond-haired boy was certain that the teacher had ended up giving him said ride home. However, that did not matter because in the end Naruto was back in his home, away from the dangerously delicious taste of Sasuke, away from the suffocating warmth of the teacher, far way from the intoxicating presence of the man that had sparked up his interested from the very beginning and the worst part was that Naruto did not regret it.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.**

**A/N: A huge thank you goes to those of you who reviewed, followed, favourited and most of all read. Thank you for taking the time to go this far with me and for sticking around for so long. **

**I hope you liked this chapter. It turned different than I expected it to, but I like the end result. **

**Now halt! **

**Please look down.**

**What do you see****?**

**No, not the ground. **

**No, not a dancing monkey. **

**No, not Naruto and Sasuke actually making out**

**Or ripping through their bodies lustful shouts.**

**You see a small box that can make me grin**

**And make my head spin**

**Until nothing but silent happiness is left. **

**Until next time I update and/or post a story, my fellow readers, **

_~ QueenofRhymes ~ _


	8. Chapter 8

It was strange waking up during the middle of the night. Sasuke growled as his eyes adjusted to the dim lights shining through his window curtains. He made a mental note to go and search for new ones during the weekend. He groaned when he reached out towards his phone and saw that it was still three a.m. He sighed as he lay back down. The man closed his eyes, but immediately regretted it as various images shot through his head. He cringed when he remembered what he had done and with whom and where.

_God, must I be so stupid__? __I can't believe I kissed Naruto of all people. _

Sasuke brought a hand up and covered his eyes as he sighed in frustration. He then let it rest above them, on his damp forehead. He frowned. The man felt his forehead once more and then brought his hand up so that he could examine it. Dark eyes widened slightly when they noticed that there were a few droplets trickling down his pale fingers.

The cold air that entered through the window made the restless sleeper shiver. Sasuke rolled his eyes and tried to sit up so that he could go into the bathroom and examine the damage the previous days had done to his body. Unfortunately, all he managed to accomplish was a slight rise from the bed until his vision blurred, his eyes rolled back and his head began to pound.

"Fuck." The Uchiha muttered as his head started spinning. He brought his hand and covered his eyes before he mumbled, "Not this again."

His body then slumped forward. He moaned as his breathing became more ragged. He could not believe his luck. Why did he have to have the same reaction every damn year when that wretched day arrived? Couldn't whatever deity was currently watching over him spare him the aftermath at least for one year?

Sasuke waited patiently for the spinning to stop. He kept his eyes shut and was glad to find out that the darkness helped ease his discomfort at least a little bit. He sighed once his breathing returned to normal. Unfortunately, the constant sweating did not stop. Sasuke frowned once he felt something damp on his sheets. He opened his eyes and looked towards the bed. His eyes widened. A small puddle had formed. He then reached up a hand and felt his forehead.

"Shit." Sasuke whispered as he tried to rise once more.

All the man managed to accomplish was get up into a sitting position. With a few shaky breaths he succeeded in bringing his body towards the nightstand where he dialed an all too familiar number. Naturally he was able to tell the person on the other end of the line about what he had discovered about his current condition. Ignoring the chastising tone that followed, Sasuke barely managed to say:

"Kakashi, please, hurry."

After that he smiled sadly and slumped forward. As the Uchiha's body slowly connected with the floor the silent room was filled with worried shouts of said person's name.

The seconds were ticking by far too slowly for Kakashi's liking. He was currently at the hospital again, waiting for none other than Uchiha Sasuke, again. The silver-haired psychologist hated the fact that he had not been able to predict what would happen. He blamed himself for not thinking that Sasuke might drink too much more than once, but this time things were worse. The Uchiha was not only suffering the remnants of a bad hangover or the aftermath of intoxicating oneself with fleetingly pleasurable substances. At the moment Sasuke not only had a fever, but it seemed that he was having hallucinations as well. His body was beyond exhausted and his mind was in no better condition. It seemed that despite all the drugs that were bleeding their way into his system, trying to repair whatever they could, were not enough to quiet the voices of the Uchiha's guilty conscience.

Suddenly a nurse called his name and Kakashi immediately stopped his pacing. From what he could gather from her expression she was not all too pleased with the news she was about to deliver. She took a few uncertain steps towards Hatake and after a few shaky breaths she said:

"I am sorry to inform you, but it seems that there were slight complications during the procedure. It seems that the patient's body was not strong enough to endure everything it was given."

Kakashi's eyes widened before he asked:

"What kind of complications?"

The nurse sighed before she looked Hatake in the eyes and told him:

"Due to the fever Mister Uchiha's heart rate rose abnormally high and as a result his heart nearly stopped."

Kakashi's eyes widened. Sasuke's heart had stopped? No, it had nearly stopped, but why? That was the question Hatake could not help but voice.

The nurse shook her head, telling him silently that they still did not know. She then explained:

"The next 24 hours are critical. If we do not manage to make his temperature fall within the next few hours, I am afraid his chances at pulling through will be slim to none."

Kakashi's eyes widened. He stood there crestfallen as the nurse apologized and asked if he wanted to see the patient. Hatake merely shook his head. That was the only movement his frozen body allowed him.

_He might not survive, but why__? __Sasuke is barely twenty-five. He-he can't just die. He still has so much to accomplish, so many things to do, so much… life left inside of him. _

As Kakashi was walking towards Sasuke's room, he could not help but recall the last time this had happened. It was about a year ago, around the same date that had ruined Sasuke's life seventeen years ago. With a deep sigh Kakashi remembered how Sasuke had called him from a bar again. Hatake had had to drive all the way to the outskirts of town in order to find the Uchiha and then drive him to the hospital again, but he did not remember Sasuke having any hallucinations or fevers or anything of the sort. There had been mumbles, yes. There had been cries of pain, guilt and begging for forgiveness countless times, but there had never been a real risk for the Uchiha's life.

Kakashi mentally reprimanded himself for allowing such a thing to occur, but after all, Sasuke was an adult and as such he had the power to do whatever he wanted with his life no matter how bad or hurtful it might turn out to be in the end. The worst part was that this destructive and disastrous behaviour only occurred once and it was on that faithful day when everything had changed for the Uchiha family. The catch was that Sasuke would act differently only on that particular day or perhaps a day or two early, depending on what emotions were ruling his heart, but most of the time it took him a few days to recover. He had never before suffered, drunk and single handedly destroyed everything Kakashi had tried to build and save over the years for more than a week. And the worst part was that Kakashi had allowed it.

Kakashi stopped abruptly. He smiled sadly as he looked at the ironic number on the door – 666. Did he need a reminder of the fate of the creature behind that door through such grotesque detail? Apparently, he did. With a small sigh he opened the door and peered inside.

The artificial light swam through the sea of darkness and lit up only part of the pale body that was currently slipping away from this world. As slow as the process was, Kakashi could not help but note the change that was laid out in the open when he entered the room and flicked on the lights. His eyes noticed the redness of Sasuke's cheeks, the constant sweating that jus would not stop, the sharp gasps for air, the constant seeking of an anchor that was no longer in this world, the endless destruction that was about to take away every last bit of energy inside the young boy.

Kakashi walked towards Sasuke's bed and put a hand on the boy's forehead. He jumped back, horror written all over it. It was burning like a sea of lava that was slowly engulfing every last bit of solid land it could find. If a volcano had exploded from Sasuke's head, his forehead and entire body would not be this blazing fury of endless torture.

Kakashi's eyes watered slightly as he watched the boy's life flying away before his eyes. He clenched his fists, hating how helpless he felt. All those years he had been deluding himself that he had managed to help all those people and change their lives. He had even gone as far as to think that he had made an impact on Sasuke's life as well, perhaps he had, but the truth was that no matter how hard he tried he could not help the lost boy find purpose in his life again. That was up to Sasuke and Sasuke alone to decide and no matter how much it would hurt, if his life was supposed to be taken tonight or the day after, then Kakashi would not do anything to prevent it even if he could.

That was the reason why Kakashi stilled his heart and heavy breathing. He willed himself not to cry. After he had managed to collect what little willpower he had left, he made a few wobbly steps towards Sasuke's bed. He sat down and ran a hand through the damp locks. With a sad smile he whispered:

"It seems that after all these years he has finally come back for you, Sasuke." Kakashi then ran his fingers through the waves of darkness that was Sasuke's hair before he withdrew his hand and said to himself, "I just hope you will be happy there, wherever that there will be."

Kakashi then closed his eyes as a lone tear slid down his face. After that he slowly brought his body forward and placed a chaste kiss on the Uchiha's forehead. His lips only ghosted the skin, but it seemed that it had the desired effect for the Uchiha's eyes moved and formed a mixture of a cringe and a frown, but it was not a grimace. However, Kakashi did not allow happiness or hope to enter his heart. He simply ignored the unexpected movement. Instead, he withdrew completely from the body that was drifting away from him, got up and went towards the door. He opened it, turned off the lights, turned around and uttered:

"Goodbye, Sasuke."

After that he closed the door, allowing the darkness to swallow the dying Uchiha once more.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters. No profit is made from this story. It is written for entertainment purposes only. **

**A/N: Thank you everyone for following, favouriting, reviewing and reading. **

**I apologise for the long wait.**

**I hope you will stay tuned for the next chapter. Since summer vacation is near, I hope you won't have to wait too long for the update.**

**Reviews****?****Follows****? ****Favourites****?**


	9. Chapter 9

_Breathe in, and then breathe out… It should be easy, right__?__In our current situation, however, there was a small catch which made inhaling and then exhaling far more difficult than it should be – our favourite Sasuke Uchiha was under water or was currently getting sucked into an endless ocean of… blood__? _

_Sasuke's eyes shot open. He opened his mouth, wanting nothing more than to scream. Unfortunately nothing but bubbles erupted from his torn lungs and even though they reached the surface, they did not go further than a certain dark shadow's ears. Said shadow chuckled deeply and directed his red eyes towards his victim. _

_Sasuke gasped as his lungs started burning. His eyes widened. He began coughing as the oxygen in his lungs dissipated. Soon his eyes started drooping and darkness surrounded him completely. He was just about to succumb to the need to sleep when the figure appeared in front of him. Dark eyes widened in fear and anger when they saw it. Immediately all sense of self preservation and desire to surrender left him. The only thought that was running through Sasuke's mind was revolved around the being in front of him and the unexpected want to just lunge forward at him, wrap his hands around that ghastly purple skin, dig his nails into it and choke that monster to death. However, there was one fault in the plan Sasuke's natural reflexes had concocted – he could not kill what was already dead._

_Suddenly the creature did exactly as Sasuke wanted. Unfortunately, he dug his nails into Sasuke's pale skin, not his own disgusting one. Coughing, followed by choking, then suffocating filled the bloody ocean. Dark eyes rolled back, while pale skin turned into ghostly white with the exception of the redness of Sasuke's neck where the nails were drawing out what would make a fantastic first course of a meal for the monster. _

_Just as Sasuke's eyelids were about to close forever, he was brought back to the surface. He stood on his knees, hands wrapped around his neck protectively as he tried to ascertain what exactly was going on. He was just about to look up and meet the creature's gaze when he was thrown several feet away from the monster. Sasuke gasped and then moaned when the water cut through his skin, drawing out more blood. As time passed Sasuke managed to regain his balance and he ended up landing on top of the water. He stood on his knees as he breathed heavily, trying desperately to regain his normal breathing pattern once more. He glowered when the shadow chuckled darkly at him, as though the creature were mocking him for his own mortality and lack of power to do anything to it. _

_Perhaps it was right that to some extent Sasuke was to blame for it, but now he should not focus on blaming himself or showering himself with hateful words or spiteful comments. That would, after all, make the monster stronger. No, instead of making his predicament even worse, Sasuke had to force his entire being into thinking of one thing only – how he could escape from the shadow's clutches, even though he was clearly at a disadvantage here. _

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk, little Sasuke, I am hurt, I thought you would've been happy to see me." The monster said as it draped an arm around his heart and rubbed the spot, as though he were wounded and was currently trying to relieve some of the pain._

_Sasuke simply glared at the monster, not wishing to fulfill its desire and reveal that he truly was not the least bit glad to be here. That would, after all, only to serve to make the beast even cockier and that was something Sasuke did not need. _

_The shadow became serious and all of a sudden everything about the scenery changed. Sasuke was no longer standing over a bloody ocean with burning skies grazing the top of his head. No, right now he was on the surface of a beautiful lake the water of which was crystal clear. Trees in full bloom were surrounding said lake. Dark eyes traced every movement the rose petals made and followed them until they fell on the ground. Sasuke closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the small breeze that danced across his healing skin. He then reopened them and looked up. His eyes widened – the sky was blue, so blue with white fluffy clouds moving slowly in a mesmerizing dance. Sasuke could not believe that he had been saved once more. _

"_Sasuke." A figure in a white cloak called out to him. _

_Sasuke looked down and met the eyes of his older brother. Itachi had kneeled down in front of him and had extended one of his hands for Sasuke to hold. He was currently smiling warmly at his younger brother, as though nothing had changed and nothing had happened at all; as if their world had not fallen apart; as if there was no demon or as Sasuke liked to call him shadow standing behind them; as though it were still just Itachi and Sasuke. _

"_Everything will be fine, Sasuke. Just take my hand and I will help you return to the real world." Itachi said in a soothing tone. _

_Sasuke's eyes widened slightly again and a nostalgic smile appeared on his face. He could not believe how much he had missed it. Not just the normally calming and healing voice of his older brother, but everything – the warmth his form always exuded, the safety his presence always provided, the smile that would shine brighter than any problem or worry, the gleaming eyes that always promised one thing – you need not worry for I will protect you. Oh, how much had he missed it all!_

"_Sasuke, is there something wrong__?__" Itachi asked, his eyes changing from black to slightly red before he added in a deep growl, "Did he hurt you__?__"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened before they returned to their normal size. He had forgotten the intensity and power Itachi's gaze held. Even if it was locked with yours for only a second, you would still be able to feel either rejuvenating warmth or paralyzing coldness course through your body. _

"_No, he did not hurt me." Sasuke explained before he looked at the demon and added, "It seems that I can still control him, though it is only if you are present I am afraid."_

_Itachi bowed his head down before he looked up again and locked eyes with Sasuke. His expression was gravely serious and all of its intensity fell directly on Sasuke's shoulders, making him sink slightly. Itachi immediately grabbed Sasuke's shoulders and pulled him up. He tensed once he heard the shadow behind him chuckle and make a step. Anger and frustration coursed through the Uchiha's veins before he turned slightly around, lifted his hand up and spoke in a dangerously powerful tone:_

"_Creature of hell be gone!"_

_Before the shadow even had a chance to make some snide comment or emit some sort of unidentifiable sound he disappeared. Itachi's posture immediately relaxed afterwards. It seemed that not only did the creature's absence make both Uchiha brothers feel safer, but it also managed to make the scenery even more beautiful – the birds started singing, the sun was shining brighter than usual and it seemed that the water and sky were even clearer, if that was possible. All in all, it seemed like paradise. Almost, but it was not. It was simply an illusion created by Sasuke's mind, depending under whose influence he was. For example, if it were the demon, the scenery would be all dark, black and red, sometimes gray, while if were under his guardian angel, Itachi Uchiha, it would turn into what it currently was._

_A sigh from his brother Sasuke back to where they were. The younger Uchiha looked straight into his brother's eyes and immediately regretted it. He resisted the urge to growl or groan. He would not grumble either. He knew it was futile because no matter how much he wanted to avoid a certain topic of conversation, his brother had the innate ability to always, __**always**__ bring it up __**somehow.**__ To say that Sasuke despised yet admired that ability would be an understatement._

"_Sasuke, we need to talk about this." Itachi said calmly as he regarded his brother's posture carefully. He noted the tenseness in his shoulders and the slight bags under his eyes. Though they were barely noticeable, they were still there._

"_Have you been drinking into stupor again__?__" Itachi suddenly asked as he reached out a hand and put it on his brother's forehead._

_Sasuke's eyes widened. He was about to protest and deny it, but was silenced once more by Itachi's next statement._

"_It seems you have a fever as well. Sasuke, have you been taking care of yourself like I told you last time or have you disregarded my warning once more__?__"_

_Sasuke wished he could lie. He wanted to possess the ability to lie to anyone and anything at any given time, but the truth was that no matter how hard he tried, he just could not mislead his brother. Damn Itachi and his perceptiveness!_

_A shake from Sasuke's head was enough for an answer. It was soon followed by a disappointed sigh from Itachi. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He felt a pang of guilt. All his brother ever wanted was for Sasuke to be healthy and live a semi-happy life and here Sasuke was doing anything but that. What was wrong with Sasuke's situation again__? __Ah, yes, he was a selfish and stubborn idiot that would do anything in order to keep his brother as near as he could even if it meant destroying his own body with his own two hands._

"_Sasuke, we have been through this time and time again. You should not drink every time your memories of the accident come back and you should not push every single person that comes into your life and wants to help you. And most of all you should stop drowning your heart and mind in such negative emotions. Sasuke, please, you know better than me how much damage sadness, anger and hatred can do to you. Not to mention guilt, agony and misery." Itachi lectured before he moved slightly forward and placed both of his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. He then brought his head forward and leaned his forehead against Sasuke's. Worried dark eyes gazed into empty black ones before they closed and a weary sigh came forth. It mingled with Sasuke's shallow breaths, sending a wave of warmth towards Sasuke's strangely cold body. _

"_I cannot keep coming like this, Sasuke," Itachi began before he opened his eyes for an added emphasis as he continued, "I cannot save you from your demons forever, Sasuke. You will need to learn how to control them on your own."_

"_Easier said than done, Itachi. I can't just snap my fingers or pray and hope for them to go away." Sasuke replied with a humorless chuckle._

_Itachi clicked his tongue in slight disapproval before he responded:_

"_No, but you can start by doing what you previously did."_

_A groan was all he got as an answer. Itachi returned the favour by growling and scolding:_

"_Do not glower or grumble at me, Sasuke. You have an incredible gift and you shouldn't waste it because you are afraid that you would not be able to see me."_

_Sasuke's eyes widened. He thought that Itachi would not be able to figure it out, but seeing as it had been seven years since Sasuke last helped a ghost, he should not be too surprised. _

"_I thought it would take you more time to reach the true reason. It seems that you are as perceptive and intelligent as always, Nii-san." Sasuke uttered._

_Itachi chuckled before he replied:_

"_That or you are as obvious as always, otouto."_

_Sasuke glowered when his brother had the nerve to actually laugh at his face, but Sasuke could not help but agree with Itachi. He did find it hard to hide what he felt or thought sometimes. That was the reason why he even soon followed and laughed with his older brother. That was something that he missed doing as well. Laughing with Itachi was an entirely different experience than laughing with his friends or parents or past boyfriends/lovers. Itachi had something about him that always managed to help Sasuke relax and just follow what was currently controlling his heart. It did not only happen when laughing was involved. Whatever the emotion or thoughts were Sasuke could express them freely in front of his brother because more often than not Itachi would either agree or simply listen. There were times when Itachi believed in something entirely opposite, but even then, he would not judge Sasuke or lash out at him for daring to think in such a polar way. He would only remain silent and actually __**listen. **__Did Sasuke mention that he missed that, too__? _

"_I am afraid our time is almost over, otouto. Tell me, is there anything else you would like to discuss with me__? __That boy, Naruto, for example__?__" Itachi suddenly asked, making a faint blush colour Sasuke's pale skin, which only served to make Itachi laugh once more._

"_He will be eighteen soon." Sasuke defended, knowing full well that Itachi knew about the kiss. He did watch over him during the day and night after all._

"_Is that the only thing that stopped you from ravishing him that night__? __The fact that he is not of what is considered to be legal age__?__" Itachi questioned._

_Sasuke scowled when his brother dared to laugh at his misfortune once more. Sasuke huffed when Itachi's body shook with mirth. The younger Uchiha rolled his eyes and found himself chuckling as well. After all, who was he to blame for his feelings__? __He had not asked for that boy to enter his life or to affect him this way, had he__? __Had he expected any of this happening, he would have fled this city sooner, but he now had a contract with that school for one year and he could not just leave unless he was fired which Sasuke was not planning on happening, despite his strangely stupid and audacious hormones. _

"_My final advice is this – follow what your heart tells you, Sasuke. Don't fight against your feelings. You do remember what happened the last time you pulled a stunt like that, right__?__" Itachi asked._

_Sasuke sighed, but nodded, nonetheless. He recalled his last relationship and cringed when he realized that he could sum it up with two, maybe three words – betrayal due to alienation. He had distanced himself from his partner far too much and in the end, his lover ended up finding somebody else that would give him the warmth, trust and openness Sasuke could not display. With a pang of guilt he remembered his fatal mistake which drove his boyfriend to another person's arms, while Sasuke was still with him – no matter how much devotion and love he had felt inside, he had not shown an ounce of it on the outside, thus making his partner think that Sasuke did not wish to be with him anymore. _

"_My thoughts exactly." Itachi suddenly said with a grin._

_Sasuke glared at his brother before he growled, "Itachi, I thought I told you to stop reading my mind the last time we talked__.__"_

"_You did. I just decided not to fulfill your request and technically I haven't read your mind. Considering we are currently residing in it, I should be able to hear every delicious secret that runs through it, don't you think__?__ And let me tell you, you have one dirty mind, otouto. I should feel pity for the poor boy." Itachi replied._

"_N-nii-san! That's private!" Sasuke protested, glaring in vain at his chuckling brother._

"_Whatever you say, Sasuke. Now, I fear it is time for me to leave and for you to wake up and face a very angry Naruto." Itachi said before he snapped his fingers and disappeared from Sasuke's mind._

"_What__?__" Sasuke whispered as he felt a strong pull before everything went black again._

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Thank you everyone for reviewing, following, favouriting and reading!**

**Now a response to the reviews of the previous chapter:**

Guest – Thank you! Thank you! I can't thank you enough. You seriously made me wonder whether I should make it a supernatural story as well and guess what? Thanks to you I did!

P.S. I would not say Sasuke's cursed…. He is more like repeating the same mistakes over and over again and he does it, despite knowing that he is doing it. You will find out what I mean as the story progresses.

alesfan – Hah, glad I could surprise you. I hope you liked this chapter!

The Secret Sal – Sorry for making you sad( wasn't my intention or was it? *insert wicked laughter here*). He will pull through if not for Naruto or Kakashi or Itachi, then for himself at least! :D

silverheartlugia2000 – sasu yesssss! He is doing exactly what I want him to! Isn't that great? Also, thank you for the constant support. Couldn't have come this far without you!

**The same goes for everyone! You have no idea how happy and giddy it makes me to open up my e-mail box and see that someone has followed, favourited or reviewed this story (or any of my other stories). Seriously your thoughts and support are what keep me going so please don't stop. **

**Please tell me what you think of this turn of events. Good****? ****Bad****? ****Interesting****? ****Confusing****? ****Your call! **

**Until next time wonderful people,**

_~ QueenofRhymes ~_


	10. Chapter 10

_A response to your reviews:_

**silverheartlugia2000 – Yup! He can see ghosts! I'm glad you find it neat. Sorry to disappoint you, but no, Naruto won't be getting any fox powers, BUT he will have an ability of his own or abilities... We'll see. And yup, Itachi does know how to push Sasuke's buttons.**

**The Secret Sal - *Screams for Itachi with you* don't worry about being a fan girl, I feel ya. Thank you. I actually found writing that chapter rather enjoyable (not that the others weren't as well) Aww, I was sad about the last chapter as well and about the future ones as well. Hah, I feel for Naruto as well. **

**To both of you and everyone else: I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Sasuke cringed when he opened his eyes, but only ended up blinded by the stupid artificial lights. He growled and put a hand over his eyes, as though that would shield him from the pesky things that kept staring at him as though he were the most interesting part of this room.

Suddenly Sasuke's wish came true and the lights over him faded. He sighed in contentment and was just about to let his hand go back to its previous position when he realized something. The lights would not fade or turn off on their own. They would be turned off by someone, but they would not in a million years stop shining willingly. Before Sasuke's mind began racing a million miles per hour and thus formulated a thousand different scenarios most of which involved the demon he had created escaping from Sasuke's body into the real world, he remembered Itachi's last words:

"_Now, I fear it is time for me to leave and for you to wake up and face a very angry Naruto."_

Sasuke kept his eyes shut, wishing for the boy above him to go away. He had yet to open them, but he knew that the chances of someone else to be hovering above him were slim to none. After all, ghosts did not have a physical form and Kakashi would not come back this soon, which only left one option – Naruto.

"Open your damn eyes, teme." The strangely familiar voice said.

Sasuke's eyes immediately shot open once he heard the offensive word, even though he knew that Naruto meant no harm when he had used it to address him. It was simply the way the boy had decided to call him which was something that bewildered the Uchiha. After all, even though they had kissed, Sasuke was still Naruto's teacher and they did not even know each that well. Normally Naruto should have more respect for Sasuke and should not by any means provoke him or address him in such a manner. Oh, who was he kidding? Their interactions had been strange from day one and Naruto held little to no respect for most of his teachers mainly because very few of them actually managed to capture his attention. Asking such a thing from or trying to teach Naruto to have some respect for a figure of authority he did not tolerate or find worthy of said respect would prove to be futile.

Despite all the nonsense that had just gone through Sasuke's head, the only response that came was this one:

"Hn, dobe."

After that Sasuke opened his eyes only to find himself staring at blazing blue ones. He was surprised to see Naruto so enraged. What had provoked him this time? Had something happened when Sasuke had been away to ala dark land and was battling his demons… literally?

"Teme…" Naruto growled out as he clenched his fists. They even began to shake, but before Sasuke could say or do anything, they returned back to their original position and Naruto's anger dissipated. Sasuke frowned at the sudden shift in atmosphere. He was just about to question the reason for Naruto's being here when he was silenced completely by what came next out of the boy's mouth.

"I can't believe you would do such things to yourself." Naruto spoke so softly that it was hard for Sasuke to hear, but the latter managed to do it, hence the widening of the Uchiha's eyes.

Suddenly several different questions raced through Sasuke's mind – did Naruto know about Sasuke's powers? If so, how much did he know? Exactly how and when had he found out? Was Naruto aware of other aspects of Sasuke's life that were supposed to stay a secret? And the most intriguing of all – did Naruto possess a gift that made him different from the others and as a result had managed to single out Sasuke because usually when two people who were able to see and/or hear ghosts were near each other, they would be able to feel that something was odd about the person next to them? Was such a possibility even worth considering given the fact that Naruto might not know anything and could just be referring to something else entirely?

" Listen, Sasuke, I know that all of this," Naruto began as he made a small circle with his hand in the air, "is beyond strange. I don't even know why I'm even here. I don't know why I kissed you back at the park three days ago or what I'm doing here. I don't know what is going on between us or if I even should consider there being an 'us'. God, I don't even know where to start."

Sasuke was surprised at first to hear all of this coming from Naruto given the fact that the boy usually seemed so sure of himself. However, considering everything that had happened since their paths crossed, Sasuke should not be too surprised that the boy did not know what to say or even how to turn his thoughts into coherent words, much less sentences. He was not actually. If Sasuke had to be honest, he was more astonished by the fact that Naruto was even here. The Uchiha had thought that the boy would throw a fit over the kiss. He even considered the possibility of Naruto telling the principal or even involving the authorities. He was glad that no such thing was happening.

With a soft sigh Sasuke motioned with his hand for Naruto to come and sit on the nearby chair. Naturally the boy complied wordlessly for which Sasuke was thankful. The Uchiha waited for Naruto to make himself comfortable. Once Sasuke was certain that his student would not be going anywhere, he looked him directly in the eyes and said:

"First things first, Naruto… tell me what you think of me after what happened that night at the park."

Naruto gasped. He did not think that would be the first thing he would be asked to clarify, but now that it had been brought up it did seem like a reasonable topic to begin with. After all, what they had done was considered illegal by some, immoral by others and downright disgusting by third parties. Some might even call it forbidden, though that was vague because a lot of things were forbidden, but should their act really be classified as such given the fact that both of them had done it willingly?

As time passed Sasuke grew anxious. It seemed that waiting for Naruto to try and word out his answer the right way was proving to be quite the test for the Uchiha's nerves and patience. A deep sigh attracted his attention, however, and alerted Sasuke that the boy was ready to speak.

"I don't hate you, Sasuke, and I'm not mad about what happened. I actually enjoyed it to some extent, but I can't say that I'm not afraid either." Naruto explained as best and clearly as he could.

Sasuke frowned before he asked, "Afraid? Mind telling me what exactly you are afraid of, dobe, because I thought you were as dauntless as you portrayed yourself to be one time during my classes not too long ago?"

Naruto glared at Sasuke after which he growled out, "I did not say I was fearless, teme. I merely claimed that almost nothing could scare me. And to answer your question – I am afraid of the consequences that might follow and of your reaction."

"My reaction? Why would you be scared of my reaction? And for the record you did not say almost, baka. You just added it now, which I consider cheating." Sasuke replied.

"I thought you would throw a tantrum and blame me or I don't know... I thought you would be angry and disgusted with what happened and of…me. And I did not just add it, teme. It was right there the first time. Perhaps time is finally taking its toll on your memory." Naruto responded as he tilted his head towards the clock on Sasuke's nightstand.

"First of all, it sure as hell was not there. You just said it. And my memory is perfectly fine and the fact that I remember the correct way things played out during that class is proof enough," Sasuke said as he glared at Naruto who glared severely back. However, before the boy had any chance of saying something, Sasuke held up his hand, effectively silencing his student, which was quite hard to accomplish most of the time. He then closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Once his eyes reopened Naruto gave him a questioning look which turned into a downright bewildered one when Sasuke smiled strangely warmly at him and brought his hand up to ruffle the boy's hair. Of course, Naruto protested and growled out his question:

"Ouch, stop it, teme! What the hell was that for?!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the 'nickname' Naruto had seemingly picked out for him. The Uchiha's smile disappeared and his expression turned into a scowl. He glared at Naruto before he asked:

"Idiot, don't you know it is disrespectful to address your teacher that way?"

Naruto huffed before he countered:

"And don't you think it is inappropriate to call one of your students 'stupid', 'baka', 'idiot' and 'dobe', Mr. Uchiha?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes once more before he said:

"Inappropriate?" He then chuckled before he smirked at Naruto, crossed his arms and continued, "If we start listing all the things we've done and said to each other the past few weeks, we'd be able to write a book."

Naruto huffed. He certainly hated it when Sasuke managed to have the last word which was almost always and it unnerved Naruto to no end. His competitive spirit was kindled and it would not fade until he succeeded in winning what he had just dubbed a debate, but was actually nothing more than their usual bickering. It could not even be considered banter sometimes.

"Then I guess that if we go further and add our thoughts as well, we'd be able to create a whole series, don't you think, sensei? And I think that yours especially would be a wonderful contribution to the hypothetical task at hand, am I right?" Naruto suddenly said as he crossed his arms and smirked triumphantly at his suddenly lightly blushing teacher. The blond-haired boy chuckled. He could not believe he had managed to outwit Sasuke, though he could not deny that he had a little help. Unfortunately for Naruto, Sasuke could feel the presence of the culprit.

"Such sonorous words, Naruto, not to mention that if one looked deeply enough into the hidden meaning behind them, one would think that you were accusing me of having a dirty mind." Sasuke replied as he, too, smirked.

It was Naruto's turn to blush and to add to his embarrassment he stuttered out a response that did not do his previous one justice. The blond's reaction earned him a dark chuckle from his companion. Sasuke then leaned forward until his lips were right next to Naruto's ear. The Uchiha's even breathing made Naruto slightly nervous. His heart rate sped up. Sweat started trickling down his skin. His face became flushed. His breathing was irregular. Shivers coursed through his being when those lips moved and hot wind caressed gently the delicate skin of Naruto's ear. Everything went cold, however, when his brain registered what Sasuke had said.

"I did not know you could hear my brother, Naruto." Sasuke said. He then leaned back and scrutinized the blond as he asked, "Can you see him as well?"

"Your brother?" Naruto questioned as he looked at Sasuke confusedly.

The Uchiha's eyes widened. His whirling thoughts seemed to have crashed into an iceberg. His heart rate quickened its pace as sweat adorned his pale skin. Had he been wrong about Naruto? Perhaps the boy did manage to conclude the fact that Sasuke had a slightly perverted side that he normally kept at bay on his own? That was probably it since currently bewilderment was written all over Naruto's face. However, soon the expression on Uzumaki's face changed into something Sasuke had never thought he would witness – a mixture of sadness, guilt and sympathy.

Glassy blue eyes looked into dark hollow ones. Pain was written all over Naruto's face. His lips quivered. His jaw tightened. His eyes were suddenly shut as his fists were clenched. Those balls of fire shook as rage poisoned them. A blazing trail of lava erupted from the ocean that was now swirling with different kinds of emotions. Sasuke's eyes widened as he could only remain silent and frozen. He felt a pang in his chest when he realized that there was nothing he could do to help Naruto. The Uchiha did not care that soon the boy's painful realization about Sasuke's current situation was going to be voiced. No, oddly, the only thing Sasuke cared about at that exact moment was the fact that Naruto was hurting and he was the reason for it. The Uchiha's fists clenched and unclenched as his jaw tightened. His nostrils flared when an unknown emotion shook and nearly destroyed the walls around his bleeding heart – guilt. Agony. Misery. They all mixed to form the endless pit of darkness that was currently the only living thing inside Sasuke's body. Ironically it was thanks to it that the Uchiha had been unable to feel anything remotely positive or negative in order to conclude that he was alive for the past fifteen years.

"I can… I can hear him." Naruto suddenly said in a strangely calm tone. His voice held no trace of the volcano that had erupted inside of him not too long ago. Oddly his words managed to drag Sasuke back to Earth and a strange feeling invade the Uchiha's previously hollow being – relief.

"You can hear guardian angels?" Sasuke asked. What he was rewarded with as a reaction made him chuckle. Naruto's eyes bulged out of their sockets. His mouth opened and then closed. It repeated the actions several times before the boy managed to choke out:

"G-g-g-g-g-guardian a-a-angels?! You mean to tell me that I can actually hear guardian angels?!"

Sasuke cringed when the blond-haired boy screamed his trademark word. The Uchiha immediately regretted that he had revealed to Naruto what he could do, though he had thought that the boy knew. Soon, however, Sasuke realized his error.

"You can only hear ethereal beings, not see them, can't you?" He asked as he looked straight into Naruto's eyes, searching for any sign of deceit. When the boy merely nodded, Sasuke found none.

The Uchiha sighed. He leaned back, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose before he mumbled:

"That explains why you could not distinguish a guardian angel from a regular ghost."

Naruto blinked confusedly before everything that had been said the past few minutes ago sank in. It did seem logical. After all, Naruto could only hear voices. He could not know whose voices they were. He had only assumed the voices he had heard belonged to ghosts. It seemed he had been wrong.

"How long?" Sasuke suddenly questioned, successfully bringing Naruto back to Earth who scrunched up his eyebrows before asking in order to clarify what Sasuke wished to know:

"How long have I known or for how long have I had them?"

"Both." The Uchiha uttered as he removed his hand from his eyelids and opened them.

Naruto sighed. He scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. He began scratching the back of his head as he answered:

"I think I've had them for as long as I can remember. But I only found out or rather confirmed that I was not insane a few years ago."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He could not help but ask:

"Your parents…"

"Went ballistic when they found out. They thought I was just pretending when I was a child, but as time went on and I entered middle school and still had not grown out of that 'phase' as they dubbed it, they… sent me to a psychologist. He prescribed me some drugs, but once they did not work properly, I was… sent to a psychiatrist. The rest… I don't want to talk about it. The point is, they didn't believe me when I told them that I could hear voices of dead people. None of them did so I just kept quiet about it and thus was forced to endure three years of medication and then one more of visits to a psychologist until he stopped regarding me as threat to myself and to the others around me." Naruto explained thoroughly.

"Oh my…. I, uh, I'm sorry." Sasuke said as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and squeezed it.

Naruto chuckled at Sasuke's attempt at pacifying him. It seemed that the blond-haired boy had been right. His teacher had times when he was socially awkward, which was completely normal, of course. However, seeing Sasuke acting this way made something inside Naruto stir. He did not know what it was. All he knew was that it was a nice feeling and he could not help but smile or chuckle or even laugh when he sensed warmth flooding his entire being. And, quite frankly, Sasuke's alluring presence was not helping Naruto one bit.

"Naruto, Naruto!" Sasuke called loudly, jerking the boy from his musings.

The Uchiha was astounded that Naruto had managed to fly back to one of his imaginary worlds after confessing something so personal. After all, even though there could be more secrets, Sasuke was willing to think that this one was part of the bigger, darker ones. And as such had to be treated with respect and attention. The opposite of what the dobe was planning on doing, of course!

"Damn it, dobe, listen to me when I'm talking to you." Sasuke said as he glared at Naruto.

The seventeen-year-old in turn glared at his teacher before his lips and eyes began to twitch. He jerked back and before Sasuke's eyes could widen further and worry consumed the black-haired man's entire being, Naruto started laughing.

Sasuke watched in utter horror as the body before him shook with what could only be considered insane laughter. Waves of cheerfulness and loudness encompassed the previously quiet and dim room and Sasuke could not help but note the sudden shift in atmosphere because of it. His eyes widened a tiny fraction before e peaceful smile adorned his usually stoic features. Warmth spread inside the previously hollow body. The Uchiha could not believe that such a trivial thing could make him feel so different. Happy even. With complete speechlessness and astonishment Sasuke concluded that the sight of those brilliant pools dancing with mirth and the music the currently shaking form was creating were enough to make him feel something he had long forgotten and missed in his life – joy. He could not believe it. For the first time in a long time he felt only one thing and that was happiness.

As time passed and Naruto's laughter did not die down Sasuke's smile did not falter. As the seconds passed he vowed to protect it, everything and to cherish every moment he would be given with the enigma that was Naruto Uzumaki. The Uchiha promised himself to try and savour every second he would have with the boy in the future even if they were very few and were spent mainly in the classroom and Sasuke only played the role of another high school teacher. Even if Sasuke's desire to become something constant in Naruto's life was not fulfilled, even if the boy decided to treat the kiss at the park late at night as nothing more than a spur of the moment type of thing, it would not matter. As long as he allowed Sasuke to remain in his life and did not treat him as though he were a waste of space, none of it would matter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. What did you say to me?" Naruto managed to say after his laughter had subsided.

Sasuke blinked slightly. His dazed black orbs met glowing blue ones. Their breaths hitched. Their heart rates quickened. Their bodies were frozen. It seemed that time had stopped for them once more. The spell was back and it was taking control over them far quicker than before because this time they moved in sink. There was no hesitation as their lips touched each other. There was no waiting when one of them parted to allow the other in. There were no regrets or worries. There were no questions. There was no age gap, no rules forced from society burdening their hearts. No, it was just them – two people who felt the same for each other and were allowing the other to experience the storm that was raging inside their entire being.

However, as everything beautiful and magical in life this moment, too, had to be ruined by a sudden knock at the door.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**I am sorry if I have written 'dope' instead of 'dobe' in some places. It seems a stupid mistake to make, but considering how asleep my brain is or was during moments when writing the previous chapters, I would not be too surprised, if some of you encounter such a dreadful mistake. **

**Now I have a couple of questions for you guys:**

**1) What would you like to see more of – romance, supernatural, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort****? ****Heck, I might even try humour( though we all know I lack skill in that department unless you're a fan of my wonderful sarcasm****)?**

**2****) Should I include more scenes with Itachi****? **

**3) ****Would you like a chapter of Naruto and Sasuke's first official date****? ****(But it will take a while for that to happen, bear with me please!)**

**A huge thank you goes to those who reviewed, followed, favourited, read and waited patiently for the new chapter. **

**Please tell me what you thought of it by leaving a review or PMS-ing me. Your call. **

**Until next time, kings and queens (or however you like to be called :D),**

_~ QueenofRhymes ~_


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